Learn To Surf Ski
Today I went for an hour training session in the ocean, in pretty crazy and wild conditions. The waves were not massive, only peaking at 2′ – 3′, however they were very choppy, the water was moving in all directions with a sweep to the south east, and half way through the training session, the wind picked up big time.
I had two hairy moments in the water today. Firstly, when I was about 2kms out to sea, I fell off due to nothing more than a lack of concentration. I was checking up on the other paddlers, was not paying attention and next thing I knew, I was in the drink. Holding onto my ski and paddle, I was downwind from my craft. The wind was blowing strong over the ski and then me. I found in this position that the ski kept drifting over me, pushing my torso back and trapping my legs under the ski. This made it very difficult to remount. Eventually after 6 attempts I managed the straddle remount – it certainly was not elegant, but it got me back up. This experience shook me a bit so I took a moment to compose myself before continuing.
The second hairy experience was much closer to shore where again, a lapse in concentration resulted in me tipping off my ski as a wave hit me from an unexpected angle. This time though I ended upwind from my ski. This situation probably is a bit scarier in retrospect as the wind started taking my ski away from me, rolling it across the top of the water. It is quite difficult swimming with a paddle, so in the end I had to throw my paddle at the ski and swim after it. It was the only way I could catch up to the surf ski. Further out to sea with a slightly stronger wind, this situation can be very scary.
The two lessons I learned from these experiences are:
- When doing any ocean sport, there will always be the element of the unknown, times when the unexpected happens. This is why it is an extreme sport. You must always keep yourself fit enough that you can swim back to shore if you lose your equipment. Today in both experiences I could persevere in my efforts to retrieve and remount my ski as I knew no matter what happened, I could swim back to land.
- In windy conditions, it is worth considering investing in a leash for your ski. Ensuring the ski is attached to your body will ensure you will not lose it out at sea, forcing a swim to safety. If this is a decision you make though, give careful thought to paddling back in through the breakers. Personally in a wipe-out situation, I would not want to be attached to my craft.
Tags: ocean paddling, surf ski choppy waves, surf ski in rough conditions, surf ski windy
