sounds like he was a lucky boy ,hope he's ok ,and recovers to surf again .

whatdayamean helmet ?

I hope you're back on the water soon Andrew & thanks for the reminder cSe & others. I've attached a pic of my QB EVA handle from a session a couple of weeks ago where my fins sliced clean through it...rather that than a body part. I agree whole heartedly about wearing an impact vest when it's big & I need to dust the cobwebs off my helmet. Maybe installing a camera on my helmet isn't such a bad idea cause it will hopefully mean I wear it more frequently.

I always wear a helmet for safety reason and the gath helmet is soo much coooool look now than back then

tomooh said..
I have been wearing my gath helmet every surf for over 20 years, seems like it will last forever, bounced off the reef in Fiji and there were bits of coral stuck in the helmet, that would have been nasty. Mostly though I wear it for sun protection as well as warmth in winter, very comfortable on my bald head,

Seems like helmets aren,t too fashionable but neither are melanomas.

What model Gath do you have? I have the original and find it uncomfortable.
Cheers Mark

Try the Gath Gedi, works great for fat melons like mine.

I actually think the wind is the most dangerous factor, also remember that wearing a helmet will reduce your chance of getting swimmers ear too, BONUS!!!

Hey Jason cantSUPenough, glad I found you to thank you for your help on Saturday at zappers. The cut was nothing compared to the neck. The board compressed C4&5 and the disk intruded onto the spinal chord and caused spinal shock (causing the short term paralysis) trying to get onto my back to breathe and call for help was a priority. Thankfully as I got onto my back the lads were there getting me onto a board and into the beach. It's a weird feeling not being able to move your arms and legs and then as I got a bit of movement no strength at all. It came back pretty quick so by the time I was back on the beach I was able to walk out of the water and even got the board onto the beach. I got the wife to take me straight to hospital (rosebud then transferred to the Alfred), they put me in full spinal trauma (until Sunday night - so much fun). Anyway home now with a neck brace for 6 weeks more MRIs to come and possible operation ahead to make sure it doesn't happen again.....oh, and that 5 week trip to Spain n Sept...thank goodness for travel insurance! Thanks to everyone who helped and the good wishes on this site..... looks like I'll be in a helmet when I can get back in the water!!! Shout out to Dean, Scotty, Tom, Jason, Justin.