What was your worst surfing injury?

casa_mugrienta

Duke status
Apr 13, 2008
43,209
17,637
113
Petak Island
Worst psychological trauma occurs 50% of the time I paddle out to the Hook during a long/lull interval south swell. Witnessing and hearing the fuckery that goes on in the lineup there makes me question all decisions in my life that lead me to that point of desperation for surfing there (quarterly work trips, limited time window, and ease of access).
Lol...Do we need a thread for this specific topic?
 

keenfish

Duke status
May 12, 2002
18,747
6,425
113
Trona
www.pbase.com
Back in the early 80's summertime trunking it I used to get a nasty rash on the inside of my thighs because the boardshorts were so short.

Fvck you Gotcha and Maui and Sons! :cursing:
 
Last edited:
  • Haha
Reactions: Mr Doof

kelly7873

Nep status
Jan 20, 2002
837
356
63
Honolulu
Solo session NS Feb 29 2000?, paddling back out after catching my first wave I ducked a small wave and lost my grip on my board with my left hand. I tried to maintain my grip with my right hand but my board twisted my arm behind my back, hyperextended shoulder. After six months of PT my shoulder was still frozen. The doctor told me it may take 2 or 3 more years of PT to get any range of motion back. I begged for an operation or anything. He gave me a cortisone shot but he didn't seem very optimistic. The next morning a was taking a shower while still half asleep and realized I was shampooing my hair with my right hand. I was fully cured over night. I learned that cortisone is great and to bail on everything.
 

Sharky

Phil Edwards status
Feb 25, 2006
6,828
9,061
113
The worst one was a skull fracture. Almost broke a fin out on the side of my head. Hit the leading edge. Fractured my temporal bone which is right behind my ear. For anyone that has ever been knocked out, I had that high pitched tone in my ears and my vision was shutting down from the sides as I was underwater. I would have died if I had gone out. "Don't pass out, don't pass out, dontpassout dontpassout.." And my vision slowly came back. Hit the surface and felt like I was drunk. No equilibrium. Somehow I'd eaten it in maybe a 6-8 tube and leashless board was right next to me. I grabbed it and hugged it like it was my mother and got washed in. Staggered to the car and tried to drive home. Failed partway down the street. Pulled over and stopped. A friend found me there and took me to the ER. While there I got this sudden sharp pain in my ear and all this whistling and then a pop. I put my hand up to my ear and there was all this clear fluid coming out of my ear. Turns out it was spinal fluid leaking through the fracture and getting into my inner ear where it blew the eardrum out from the pressure on the inside. When they realized what was going on they put in ICU. Long story shorter, I was in the hospital for two weeks. They were worried about infection and they weren't letting me out until the leakage stopped. That one probably should have killed me. All my other injuries have been minor by comparison. I was 17 years old.
 

Waterlogged05

Michael Peterson status
May 14, 2005
1,923
1,822
113
Solo session NS Feb 29 2000?, paddling back out after catching my first wave I ducked a small wave and lost my grip on my board with my left hand. I tried to maintain my grip with my right hand but my board twisted my arm behind my back, hyperextended shoulder. After six months of PT my shoulder was still frozen. The doctor told me it may take 2 or 3 more years of PT to get any range of motion back. I begged for an operation or anything. He gave me a cortisone shot but he didn't seem very optimistic. The next morning a was taking a shower while still half asleep and realized I was shampooing my hair with my right hand. I was fully cured over night. I learned that cortisone is great and to bail on everything.
wtf that's a weird one.

I'm always looking out for the common ones but the weird nonsense injuries are the scariest.
 

Black

OTF status
Jan 1, 2015
258
398
63
UK
Apart from a smashed toe (so bad its never healed) from tripping on a rock on the beach, some knee hammerings and various shredded feet scenarios, the following is the worst I've had (which probably means I've got off lightly):

Had a great session in N. Spain just before going to get the ferry home. Catching a last wave in, hit a chop which kicked my back foot off the board. With front foot still welded to the deck another chop hit and pushed the board up into my face taking my leg with it. Tore the muscle right down the back of my leg. That hurt. Went purple from ankle to buttock. I was 59 (3 years ago) when I did it and thought I might not recover enough to surf again but it healed surprisingly quickly (a few weeks) although it sometimes stiffens up in winter (the leg, the leg!).
 
  • Wow
Reactions: sizzld1

One-Off

Tom Curren status
Jul 28, 2005
14,123
10,243
113
33.8N - 118.4W
I had a back injury (non specific lower back pain) that inspired a 60 page thread in the Surf Doc section. :jamon:


 

vanrysss

Billy Hamilton status
Mar 25, 2019
1,629
3,668
113
from Oregon, now SD
Nothing too gnarly but this one was definitely gross. Got drilled pretty good and cut my big toe open on reef and copped a bunch of sea urchin spines all over the place. Two, maybe three weeks later notice my middle toe isn't looking too hot. Had to get that crap removed twice!

IMG_20180916_153520_1.jpg

IMG_20180928_110217.jpg

IMG_20181001_135608.jpg
 
  • Wow
Reactions: sizzld1 and Mr Doof

hammies

Duke status
Apr 8, 2006
15,587
14,215
113
Worst psychological trauma occurs 50% of the time I paddle out to the Hook during a long/lull interval south swell. Witnessing and hearing the fuckery that goes on in the lineup there makes me question all decisions in my life that lead me to that point of desperation for surfing there (quarterly work trips, limited time window, and ease of access). Only cure is solo beach break session somewhere north or south within 24 hours of the infection.
Every time I surf that place I regret it. Every. Single. Time.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: rice and warble2

bluemarlin04

Michael Peterson status
Aug 13, 2015
2,565
2,383
113
I had a back injury (non specific lower back pain) that inspired a 60 page thread in the Surf Doc section. :jamon:


Have same problem.

Recently got nerve ablation procedure to help.
 

rowjimmytour

Tom Curren status
Feb 7, 2009
11,534
5,832
113
54
Santa Cruz spot a certain amount of miles outside of town still uncrowded early 90's sunny shoulder to a little over head. I was dropping in another guy paddling out decides to paddle in front of me instead of shoulder. I turned to avoid mid face and hyperextended my right knee. Had to walk back to truck up hill solo and drove my self to ER....
 

rice

Duke status
Jul 2, 2002
24,304
1,801
113
CA
Worst psychological trauma occurs 50% of the time I paddle out to the Hook during a long/lull interval south swell. Witnessing and hearing the fuckery that goes on in the lineup there makes me question all decisions in my life that lead me to that point of desperation for surfing there (quarterly work trips, limited time window, and ease of access). Only cure is solo beach break session somewhere north or south within 24 hours of the infection.
Hahaha. I had that session and feeling last time I surfed, there, mid-90's.

THEN got back to my van to find it broken into and my wallet empty.

THEN, I drove away onto 41 ave with my board still on the roof, and listened to it slide off and land nose-first on the roadway and shatter.

Yeah, last time at the Hook.
 

santacruzin

Kelly Slater status
Oct 17, 2007
8,832
9,764
113
valley purgatory
Hahaha. I had that session and feeling last time I surfed, there, mid-90's.

THEN got back to my van to find it broken into and my wallet empty.

THEN, I drove away onto 41 ave with my board still on the roof, and listened to it slide off and land nose-first on the roadway and shatter.

Yeah, last time at the Hook.
I love the hook
I hate the hook
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mr Doof