After a few near misses I bought a Gath hat and have been wearing it supping. Today it paid off. Board flew back in the wind and hit me in the head and forearm. Couple of stitches to the arm, head unscathed. Could have been worse. The lid is worth every cent. I encourage you guys and girls to consider wearing one. Definitely saved me from a more serious injury today. Robdog

I've been meaning too ever since I copped a fin to the head - just haven't got around to it. Yeah I'd look like a dick, but thinking about it, it will suit me.

funny thing is once i started wearing one 6 1/2 yrs ago i seemed to get hit all the time like the helmet is magnetised to your board

tha dogman said...

funny thing is once i started wearing one 6 1/2 yrs ago i seemed to get hit all the time like the helmet is magnetised to your board

yeah, know what you mean, you can get a superman thing going.i didn't duck tree branches as much a i should have- doh

Div said...

I've been wearing one for over 15 years. I feel like I'm Linus with a security blanket. How's the shark?

Div

The shark put its mouth around the kayak, put a few deep scratches in the hull. Rhys, the guy in the kayak, hit the shark with his paddle to make it let go, he got knocked out of the kayak, lost his paddle and kayak and did not want to swim after it, or make any movement. Soon after was picked up by a recreational fisherman. That's the story I have heard. It certainly would have been a scary experience.

Hmmmm,

I make all the girls wear bright coloured helmets so i can pick them out up to about 500m away and it helps protect them from the Kooks we get down here on long weekends.

I have a helmet also but only wear it when it gets hugemungus!

After some of the things I have seen happen lately with the new easy to ride SUPs, I have fleabayed my self some body armour left over from the gulf war for after Christmas day.

Last weekend we had 10 SUPS out one morning 7 of which didnt have a clue!

It was just plain dangerous.

I can see OG being closed to SUPS in the not to distant future if people dont use some brains and stay well to the left of the boat ramp until they can control the craft properly.

Phill

tha dogman said...

funny thing is once i started wearing one 6 1/2 yrs ago i seemed to get hit all the time like the helmet is magnetised to your board

Maybe knowing your wearing a Gath makes you more confident?
I usually wear a Gath when Im trying something new windsurfing.

I wear one both shortboarding and SUPing. There are no disadvantages apart from sticking out from everyone else.

I used to wear one in the 90's when I lived down the coast for a few years, surfing shallow reefs and rock shelves. It was great for sun protection, too.

Then moved back to beachbreaks, & stopped wearing the Gath.

Last year I had to start taking blood thinners. Specialist told me to stop surfing because of the impact risk. A concussion for someone else might be a brain haemorrage for me. "What if I wear a helmet?" He says ok.

So now I wear the helmet. Better to surf than not to surf.

I wore it in Bali, too. No problem. Not too hot, and the helmet reduced the UV and glare.

Helps keep me specs in place, and my adapted bicycle stick on rear view mirror helps me keep tabs on whether the section is catching me.

Gyro Screwloose

lookielookie said...

FOR THE STAR WARS FANS

sick ive so got to up date my helmet to one of those sexy buckets

OG SUP said...

I have the Darth Vader version for Mambo wooo hooo.





Phill

actually, one of those would be real handy on saturday morning at the alley

I bought a gath helmet today and went out in some windy conditions at Cat Bay and the board hit me on the head. So I guess that is proof that they are board magnets.

I also bought one of those balin sup legropes, which was kind of lucky as the legrope attached to my board snapped at the swivel today.