Surfer dies at Rincon following collision with another surfer...

Dec 17, 2019
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Dislocated my jaw last winter, board hit me hard enough to split the length of (heavily chiseled) jaw line. Popped up in a pool of red. My face took on the appearance of elephant man and I was basically sucking food through a straw for 3 weeks. I got off lucky I cannot imagine shattering the thing.
haha what a douche
 
Surfers who were at Rincon when the accident happened said waves were big at the time and the water was crowded.

"Gerry" Gilhool Jr. 51, had apparently been riding down the face of the wave while the other surfer was in the water below, rolling under as the wave passed.

The fin of Gilhool's board cut the other rider's head and hit his nose.

Gilhool went down into the water, but the wipeout did not seem noticeably bad.

Other surfers brought Gilhool to shore on his surfboard and provided medical aid until paramedics arrived.

Link to story: Surfer Dies At Rincon...
 

ZZ Soft Top

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Sep 22, 2013
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I barely surfed Rincon 20 years ago b/c of the crowds, I can't imagine what it's like now. I don't even consider surfing there when I go home to visit.

My condolences to his friends and family.
 
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casa_mugrienta

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Apr 13, 2008
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Surfers who were at Rincon when the accident happened said waves were big at the time and the water was crowded.

"Gerry" Gilhool Jr. 51, had apparently been riding down the face of the wave while the other surfer was in the water below, rolling under as the wave passed.

The fin of Gilhool's board cut the other rider's head and hit his nose.

Gilhool went down into the water, but the wipeout did not seem noticeably bad.

Other surfers brought Gilhool to shore on his surfboard and provided medical aid until paramedics arrived.

Link to story: Surfer Dies At Rincon...
So basically a freak accident.

I feel bad for the guy.

Just awful.

Assuming he has family too?
 

VonMeister

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Apr 26, 2013
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JOE BIDENS RAPE FINGER
had apparently been riding down the face of the wave while the other surfer was in the water below, rolling under as the wave passed.
The adult learner longboard special. Power trimming down the line in a packed lineup without the skill to turn the oversized hunk of sh!t they are riding...... oblivious to any responsibility they have to other people.

Your only hope is to scream loud enough to awaken them out of their "finally I got a wave" stupor.....which generally don't do anything because of the previously mentioned lack of skill.
 

PPK96754

Miki Dora status
Apr 15, 2015
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Reason #68 why I don't surf Rincon. It was good as it gets with hardly anyone on it back in the early 80's. Mid-week special back then trading waves with Davey Smith at rivermouth. Wut-the-fuk happened??
Glad to have been able to score it when it was still fun.
1960's, when ya do an early ride up the coast from the South Bay and hit the long sweep on PCH and you look across the water and there's surf, hang a u-turn and a couple of woodies and maybe an old bread truck and Desoto are parked on the highway.
Renny Yater, Bob Cooper, Kemp Aaberg, "porkchops", Hugo Foster leaning up against a car watching the surf roll in with 2 guys out. Chubby Mitchill, Kimo Hollinger, Chick Edmundson and myself pull up in Chick's old Willy's jeep. Hang out, talk story, shrugs shoulders and knee paddle out, in SHORTS with no leash and surf for an hour or two. Surf Stanley's, Oil Piers, or the Overhead on the way home.,

1960's brah. We were much more enlightened in that time period ~

Condolences to Gerry's Ohana and Friends
"Ho'omana'o" ~ Forever Remembered
 
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_____

Phil Edwards status
Sep 17, 2012
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+1. I drove by yesterday around 10am and it was about that. Would have wanted some extra foam. There were a few spots completely going off same time this morning. Haven't seen a wave do what it did as good as it did today (barrel spit and run) at spot X in years. I didn't surf but saw it on the way back home.
 
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silentbutdeadly

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Sep 26, 2005
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I plan on flyfishing when I'm older and retired too. but hopefully it's just to break up my routine of surfing and fishing off the coast.
 

One-Off

Tom Curren status
Jul 28, 2005
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"The fin of Gilhool's board cut the other rider's head and hit his nose.

Gilhool went down into the water, but the wipeout did not seem noticeably bad."


So this Gilhool ran over someone duck diving and his fin cut the other riders head and his nose? Whose nose? His, Gilhool's, or his, the other rider? Gilhool goes down. What are his injuries? How did he get his injuries?

Doesn't make sense to me. Sorry this happened. RIP.

ps- Don't run people over, even if they paddled into your path.
 

Peter1

Nep status
Jul 29, 2005
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i just heard of thee death of Gerry, a short while ago,
tearz are runnin' as i type, he was a cool dude, like a brother to me,
his lil' dude will surely miss his ol' man as he grows up...
these surfpix are from L.A., b4 he moved north...
RIP, my friend!!!
randy

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Thanks for posting, it's good to put a face to a name, even in horrible circumstances.

We moved to Paris a decade ago and my surfing now is basically limited to fun sessions in Hossegor area. I like it that way, frankly. I haven't brought any boards over from the US, still stashed on the Outer Banks, so I just rent whatever board suits the conditions when we're down on the Cote Basque.

That helps a lot, because if it's a small day I rent a softtop or foamie and just have fun, no hassling, a lot safer with a soft board. Plus, I'm 53, so even though i'm in pretty good shape I can't just paddle out if it's 2x overhead on the inside anyway...

Sometimes you just can't get out of the way...I'm pretty good at anticipating who's going to drop in on me and calling them off, but last year I got unexpectely cut off on a bigger day and had to straightoff-Adolf it right over a guy paddling out, didn't even have a second to react. I plowed right over his head, thankfully he turned turtle but it can't have been a margin of more than a few mm.
 

flyinraptr

Michael Peterson status
Dec 18, 2008
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100% this. The cool part is ive never went for a trail run or rock climb and came home in a bad mood. That was becoming the the norm with surfing
I was an avid rock climber for over 10 years ... don't kid yourself .... rock climbing can attract the same type of fuckery and idiots who have no business being on a climb. I've had more than a few close calls and dangerous situations because of idiots ... and have had to rescue a few off of climbs which can be extremely dangerous. With the limited number of outdoor sport climbing areas and closing of popular spots in So Cal like Williamson Rock .... its the same mission of trying to find uncrowded places to apply your sport.

RIP - to the surfer who lost his life. Took the nose of a board to the face many years ago .... my own - old school lease that got caught on the inside of a swallow tail and acted like a slingshot. Have had more than a few close calls in crowded conditions with SUPs and out of control longboarders .... got run over by a longboard once - used my brand new custom quad fish to block - ended up ripping out both fin boxes on one side of the tail. I'd rather surf an average uncrowded wave than a popular spot with a million people any day. Be careful out there.
 
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casa_mugrienta

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I was an avid rock climber for over 10 years ... don't kid yourself .... rock climbing can attract the same type of fuckery and idiots who have no business being on a climb. I've had more than a few close calls and dangerous situations because of idiots ... and have had to rescue a few off of climbs which can be extremely dangerous. With the limited number of outdoor sport climbing areas and closing of popular spots in So Cal like Williamson Rock .... its the same mission of trying to find uncrowded places to apply your sport.
Seems the same attitude is growing in climbing now - bitterness from avid and older climbers as more turds infiltrate the sport and try to ruin everything.

Funny cause I can remember hearing climbing bums wanting to distinctly distinguish themselves from "asshole" surf culture.
 
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