So true carbon is an unbelievable light and strong product , but it also has it's Achilles heel... The rear barn door on my defender has swung shut on my boards and paddles countless times. You can't see any physical damage to the shaft if it's had a door jamb , maybe just a tiny hairline crack that looks like nothing but that is the beginning of the end . It could be days,weeks or months but your shaft will eventually fail on that spot and yes you will be just paddling like normal and then POP...
Makes you wonder, if you were about to do a downwinder way off-shore, or surfing somewhere critical, maybe you should pre-test your paddle. Set up a little test like Jim demonstrated in the vid. If it survives being stepped on then hopefully you can rely on it not to go pop at a critical time. (Of course, you'll need a spare.)
was around three years old so not to bad.