What was your worst surfing injury?

Aquaman2

Michael Peterson status
Apr 17, 2008
2,199
1,295
113
Socal
fineartamerica.com
Although I stepped on a sea urchin at Royal Palms Palos Verdes, and had my fin stab my foot for a dozen stitches at Manhattan Beach, my worse injury was at Huntington Cliffs where my board flew out from under me and pearled, then bounced right back into my face. The tail hit me one inch under my right eye. I was alone and had to drive a stick shift car, while applying pressure to my cut face all the way to the hospital.
 
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Aquaman2

Michael Peterson status
Apr 17, 2008
2,199
1,295
113
Socal
fineartamerica.com
Normally, if you pearl, you fly over the handlebars. No problem. This time the board flew out in front of me, totally out of the water, arching, and the nose hit the water at an angle, pearling by itself, and sending it back into my face.
 

Kento

Duke status
Jan 11, 2002
68,680
20,891
113
The Bar
Comminuted fracture in 5th metatarsal in left foot. Closeout barrel and fin came around and got me in the foot. Was a bleeder and I can only hope the blood still stains the pavement at both my old local and in the urgent care parking lot.

Had to get some stitches, be in a boot for a while, and do a bit of PT to get that foot right again. Even though healed up armor-plated, I still get weird twinges in that foot.

The best part is that the bone also did some reverse damage and took some chunks out of the fin. Foot: 1, Carbon-Fiber fin: 1. Both still useable so it ends in a tie. No rematch sought.
 
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sdsrfr

Phil Edwards status
Jul 13, 2020
5,857
11,263
113
San Diego
Kicked a large rock walking the beach while watching the peaks for where I wanted to paddle out.

turned into what I believe is referred to as turf toe and took a number of years before healing properly.
 

TheEl

Billy Hamilton status
Oct 31, 2010
1,377
1,353
113
I had these "boardies" with small metal buttons for closure on the fly instead of traditional velcro. Big whoop, right? WRONG

Somehow when doing that move where you jump off a wave back down onto your board the tip got mashed onto one of the buttons and caught in the wax and bang, ripped the skin right on the tip a little. It was just a little cut but fuck that sucked.

Mind you Ive been fin gashed, board smashed, and drilled into the sand countless times.
 

SurfFuerteventura

Rabbitt Bartholomew status
Sep 20, 2014
8,404
4,584
113
Ribbit
Broken back - no mountain, though it twas a wave as big as a two story building. Rail of board cracked L4/L5/S1 during the hold down.

Broken neck - all full on scorpioning. 4/7 vertebrae damaged... some ground into non-existence.

Squats and deadlifts bro. Come at me, meat me to my face.
:violin:
:waving::shaka:
 

BrownFish

Michael Peterson status
Mar 5, 2005
2,882
299
83
~15 years ago, Head High Day, took off outside Rincon riding a Keel Fish. Had been flying down the line for quite a while, came around the bend and into a flatter section. Guy took off behind me while he was paddling out (Yellow CI board). He did this as I sped forward a bit to set up for a roundhouse. We collided as he he was mid bottom turn and I was 3/4 through my cutback. Never saw him until the last millisecond. Woke up on the beach. Never saw the guy again. No apology. Apparently he didn't help pull me out of the water. I'm still not too happy with this guy. Hopefully Karma has been a bitch for him. I coulda drowned. Couldn't thank the people enough that helped me that day. They are my lifelong legends. Lesson people, don't do stoopid sh1t! It's just surfing!
 

SteveT

Phil Edwards status
Apr 11, 2005
5,866
2,409
113
Worst injury, 16 stitches on the back of my noggin from a stupid ass kook that ditched his board in front of me at C-Street
The one that hurt the most... took the tail of my board right in the taint.
 

scooch

Nep status
Jun 14, 2013
613
331
63
Numerous dislocations on my right shoulder. Got to the point where I could paddle for a wave, have it pop out, be able to set it again and still catch the wave. Finally got the surgery years ago and its never come out again. But the worst injury was when I was running to the water to jump on my board to paddle out and I got tripped up in my leash and went down face first in the sand right next to the local heavies. My pride never recovered from that one.
 

Muscles

Michael Peterson status
Jun 1, 2013
2,596
3,597
113
California/Hawaii
Sliced my forehead from hitting the longboard fin while surfing a 1 ft wave.

Ruptured ear drum. Lost hearing that ear and still don't have full hearing back. Dr said that the minor hearing loss is probably permanent.
 

i_ride_spinnaz

OTF status
Aug 19, 2020
342
705
93
cuts, bruises, numerous ankle sprains, probably some minor fractures in my feet that were never x-rayed, a black eye from my face packing the sand after a closeout barrel. Nothing too out of the ordinary.

My dad broke his neck surfing several years back. He's been surfing for probably ~50 years. Somewhat well known shaper kooked it and somehow landed on top of him on a bigger day while my dad was paddling back out. I'm still salty about that one. Dad is fine now, still surfs almost every day, but his neck mobility is limited now, unfortunately.
 

potato-nator

Phil Edwards status
Nov 10, 2015
6,066
1,283
113
these days in a packed line-up safety is one of the first things
that get tossed out the window...
:drowning:
 

hammies

Duke status
Apr 8, 2006
15,587
14,215
113
Landed on my ass in a sitting position doing a head dip in 2 foot shorebreak. Slipped a disc.
 

casa_mugrienta

Duke status
Apr 13, 2008
43,209
17,637
113
Petak Island
my board flew out from under me and pearled, then bounced right back into my face.
This happened to me at Off the Wall lefts - got caught at the top and had to bail my board in the direction of the breaking lip.

Split and dislocated my jaw. Facial injuries bleed like a mf'er

Drive to Kahuku sucked.

I think it's Russian roulette every time you bail your board that way because the relux from the lip is gonna shoot your board towards you everytime.