This from the "Byron News"

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"Her left heel was smashed on a rock trying to avoid being hit in the head by a stand-up paddleboard."


Thanks to an inexperienced stand-up paddleboard rider and another surfer on a hire surfboard, Byron Bay's Deb Tinker now has a big steel plate and eight screws in her left foot - and many months of painful rehabilitation in front of her.

Wedged in by the stand-up paddler who had dropped in on her and the other surfer who had 'snaked' her after she had caught a wave out the back during a session at The Pass a month ago, the bone in her heel was shattered on a rock after she jumped off her board in shallow water to avoid being cracked across the head by the out-of-control and very big stand-up board.

"I hit the rock square on my heel and it felt like a sledgehammer," she said.

Ambulance

"I knew it was smashed straight away. It was extreme, intense pain. I was screaming in pain.

"I managed to lie on my board and tried to paddle to shore, but the stand-up paddler couldn't control his board and it was on top of me.

"He had no control over it at all.

"I let my board go when it was shallow enough to crawl out on my hands and knees.

"I was screaming out in pain. There were people on their daily walk and they just kept walking.

"Two nice young American guys came to my rescue and asked if they could help me out of the water. They sat with me until the ambulance came."

To his credit, the stand-up paddler apologised and asked if he could do anything to help.

After initial treatment at Byron Bay Hospital, Deb spent 12 days in Lismore Base Hospital before being able to hobble out on crutches.

And she said it would be another three months before she would be able to put her heel on the ground.

It's a major blow to the mother of three - two still at school - who has been surfing for 20 years, 15 of them competitively.

She was planning to defend the State over 35s longboard title she won this year at Coffs Harbour in June next year, but there's a cloud over that now. More importantly, her lack of mobility is also impacting on her fledgling surfboard coffee table business.

Unhappily, injuries to surfers at The Pass are not uncommon. Fights, physical and verbal, are also not uncommon, especially on big days. Many of the injuries, said Deb, were caused by inexperienced surfers and learners on hire boards who knew nothing about surfing etiquette.

Local board hire operators, as a matter of course, should tell learners to avoid the popular breaks and also tell them the basics of surfing etiquette, she said.

However, the emergence of stand-up paddleboards had added a new dimension to potential conflicts at local breaks, particularly The Pass.

Deb said that because of their size, inexperienced people hiring stand-up boards should be made to have at least one lesson before heading out into the surf and be told to stay well away from popular breaks.

She said because of the size of stand-up boards, maritime authorities also should look at requiring stand-up surfers to have a small-craft recreational licence before they took their boards into the surf.
"I appreciate people have to learn," she said.

"But you really have to learn away from the best spots to earn your stripes in the line-up."

Longboard coach Ben Bennink, who with his wife Yoko runs the In Byron Bay Today web site, was at The Pass the day Deb was injured and noted the increasing number of beginners on hire boards in the line-up.

It was an accident and accidents did happen in the surf, said Ben, but there were deeper underlying issues 'often spoken of quietly in the car park at The Pass and occasionally loudly with the frustration born of near misses and the fear of injury'.

Ben said anyone planning to hire a board who couldn't honestly answer yes to any of the questions had no business paddling out into crowded surf and putting themselves and other surfers in danger.

He said learners had to understand it was not about surfer hierarchy, but public safety.

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www.byronnews.com.au/news/call-curbs-stand-boards/429358/
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A revelant article to read for all newbies in the surf:

www.seabreeze.com.au/Articles/Stand%20Up%20Paddle/Kook-or-Kool--Your-first-go-in-the-surf_2965007.aspx

Riding SUP at the pass is the equivalent of driving a Mack Truck at 80kmh through a shopping mall where the shoppers have blindfolds no idea of how to get out of the way!

Stand up paddle boards shouldnt be hired out unless in flatwater conditions or with an instructor.Its the surf hire companys fault for giving a learner a sup and then letting them go out in a crowded spot.

Once again, a spot that I would love to sup has been ruined. I can just imagine the welcome you would get now. If it was the south coast you wouldnt even want to get out of your car.

pmorgan1974 said...

the small craft license idea is very uncool. but I agree that place like the pass when crowded is no place for a SUP. Although after working up there, i would say the tourists on the hire boards are far more dangerous..

On another note the board license thing is pretty silly, i have an 8 6" smaller than the board she rides, so is she suggesting all 9 ft plus mal riders will need a small craft licsense

Expecting people to tell the truth about their own abilities is like a woman asking a man about the size of you know what and expecting a truthful answer.......

It will not happen.

CMC said...

Expecting people to tell the truth about their own abilities is like a woman asking a man about the size of you know what and expecting a truthful answer.......

It will not happen.

9 1/2 inc

Gorgo said...

I am guessing the worst offenders would have to be the semi-experienced surfers.

Surely most total beginners would take one look at a half-decent wave and run for their lives. Even a waist high peeler can be a scary beast if it is pitching at you and you don't know what to do.

i've been surfing all my life just about and stayed well away from other people when i first ventured out in the surf. i just knew i would be trouble around anybody
cheers

just another story that will taint sup forever and drive a few more nails into the coffin for crew to bag the sh1t out of it

the blame should go back on the crew that hired it

in saying that........

jacko's policy is the go "only fatwater use"

i have a more "extreme policy" that i "dont hire my boards fullstop"

one reason is that all it takes is 1 incident like this or even worse hitting some young kids and it will ruin every little bit of good will and good faith work we all have done over the years ( well maybe some of us.......ok everyone else other than me )

as well as the boards just get destroyed and they come back saying say "but i didn't do that"yer sure you didnt

Just to clear something up, a mate from Byron told me this guy wasn't on a hire SUP. But he wasn't the
most experienced guy in the water either.

The article doesn't actually say it either but I think they are talking about more hired mals/soft tops being
in the line-up lately. Depends how you read it I guess. But either way, there needs to be guidelines for any
hirer of SUB's and also for the person hiring.

The influx of SUPs up and down the West Coast has been amazing in the last 2 - 3 months. I always talk to those on SUPs around me in the line up to get an idea of who they are etc and just to make polite conversation.

On the last 5 outings at OG MB I have spoken to 9 people who have never supped before usually with paddles back the front and no concept of how to catch a wave ploughing through the crowd like shrapnel.

We have some basic rules that everyone trys to adhere to which is, if your a beginner stay to the left of the boat ramp until you have control over what ever craft you ride.

What has amazed me is the total arrogance and aggresiveness of the new crew in the water. When you politely point out that it is safer for all concerned on such a crowded beach to SUP out of others way past the ramp you are told to stand in the far cue.

Recently I watch as Session was almost killed or badly injured at PRK by 2 totally inexperienced surfers one on a mal the other on a 12ft sup who bracketed him in the middle and then converged.

Session very politely expressed his thoughts to the sup rider who was so clearly out of his depth in OH+ waves only to be threatened in return.

I watched from the shoulder as this guy riding a stable table almost took out 4 other surfers on succesive waves, paddle flailing around spearing his board off in all directions.

I cant wait for summer, they should just park an ambulance on the ramp all day.

Phill

It's seriously easy to get hurt at the pass riding any surf craft,once the surf gets overhead.I have surfed there when it's 2-3 ft and its just mellow,soon as it gets up in size so does everyones agro.Most of the locals who sup seem to go around to Wategos,maybe so should the newbies?I hope the lady recovers well, and soon.

laurie said...

This from the "Byron News"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Her left heel was smashed on a rock trying to avoid being hit in the head by a stand-up paddleboard."


Thanks to an inexperienced stand-up paddleboard rider and another surfer on a hire surfboard, Byron Bay's Deb Tinker now has a big steel plate and eight screws in her left foot - and many months of painful rehabilitation in front of her.

Wedged in by the stand-up paddler who had dropped in on her and the other surfer who had 'snaked' her after she had caught a wave out the back during a session at The Pass a month ago, the bone in her heel was shattered on a rock after she jumped off her board in shallow water to avoid being cracked across the head by the out-of-control and very big stand-up board.

"I hit the rock square on my heel and it felt like a sledgehammer," she said.

Ambulance

"I knew it was smashed straight away. It was extreme, intense pain. I was screaming in pain.

"I managed to lie on my board and tried to paddle to shore, but the stand-up paddler couldn't control his board and it was on top of me.

"He had no control over it at all.

"I let my board go when it was shallow enough to crawl out on my hands and knees.

"I was screaming out in pain. There were people on their daily walk and they just kept walking.

"Two nice young American guys came to my rescue and asked if they could help me out of the water. They sat with me until the ambulance came."

To his credit, the stand-up paddler apologised and asked if he could do anything to help.

After initial treatment at Byron Bay Hospital, Deb spent 12 days in Lismore Base Hospital before being able to hobble out on crutches.

And she said it would be another three months before she would be able to put her heel on the ground.

It's a major blow to the mother of three - two still at school - who has been surfing for 20 years, 15 of them competitively.

She was planning to defend the State over 35s longboard title she won this year at Coffs Harbour in June next year, but there's a cloud over that now. More importantly, her lack of mobility is also impacting on her fledgling surfboard coffee table business.

Unhappily, injuries to surfers at The Pass are not uncommon. Fights, physical and verbal, are also not uncommon, especially on big days. Many of the injuries, said Deb, were caused by inexperienced surfers and learners on hire boards who knew nothing about surfing etiquette.

Local board hire operators, as a matter of course, should tell learners to avoid the popular breaks and also tell them the basics of surfing etiquette, she said.

However, the emergence of stand-up paddleboards had added a new dimension to potential conflicts at local breaks, particularly The Pass.

Deb said that because of their size, inexperienced people hiring stand-up boards should be made to have at least one lesson before heading out into the surf and be told to stay well away from popular breaks.

She said because of the size of stand-up boards, maritime authorities also should look at requiring stand-up surfers to have a small-craft recreational licence before they took their boards into the surf.
"I appreciate people have to learn," she said.

"But you really have to learn away from the best spots to earn your stripes in the line-up."

Longboard coach Ben Bennink, who with his wife Yoko runs the In Byron Bay Today web site, was at The Pass the day Deb was injured and noted the increasing number of beginners on hire boards in the line-up.

It was an accident and accidents did happen in the surf, said Ben, but there were deeper underlying issues 'often spoken of quietly in the car park at The Pass and occasionally loudly with the frustration born of near misses and the fear of injury'.

Ben said anyone planning to hire a board who couldn't honestly answer yes to any of the questions had no business paddling out into crowded surf and putting themselves and other surfers in danger.

He said learners had to understand it was not about surfer hierarchy, but public safety.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.byronnews.com.au/news/call-curbs-stand-boards/429358/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A revelant article to read for all newbies in the surf:

www.seabreeze.com.au/Articles/Stand%20Up%20Paddle/Kook-or-Kool--Your-first-go-in-the-surf_2965007.aspx

Probably one of the worst injuries you can have as far as rehabilitation.
I hope she recovers soon.
I've had a few injuries at the Pass from mals over the years,must be
frustrating being a local with all the action in the break.
Good place to visit for a short while.

Just some feedback - I am a 20 year surfer who is now seriously considering SUP which is why I am following this forum. I know the rules for Surfing but is SUP any different? Are there any extras or specific etiquitte?

As someone new to this site I couldn't clearly see a set of rules or Etiquitte posted anywhere on the 1st page (or should I have a mummy look?).

Maybe someone could post some concise info that can be left at the top of the threads?

Thanks

I just found this on the PSH website which I thought was good reading! It has been cut & pasted.



How are you representing Stand Up Paddle Surfing?
Are you Dangerous to others? Are you a WAVE HOG?

When Beach Boy surfing, there are Kool things and things that make you a huge KOOK!

This section is dedicated to Kook & Kool!

1. You paddle out floundering to a lineup with surfers. You can barely stay standing but proceed right into or outside of the lineup. You paddle for waves while people scramble out of your way only to fall off before you can even get on the wave.... Your big board becomes an extremely dangerous projectile... Kook alert!! KOOK!! KOOK!! KOOK!! KOOK!!

2. You can barely stay standing so you practice in an area where no one is around that you could endanger or bum out. You care about the world wide effects of SUP surfing so you paddle and surf with Aloha. Very Kool!!

3. You start to get the hang of it and want to surf better waves so you decide to surf a more popular spot. You paddle out and stand outside everyone. The sets come and you paddle in like a locomotive right thru the pack. You get waves in every set... KOOK!!

4. You start to get the hang of it and want to surf better waves so you decide to surf a more popular spot. You paddle out and check out the situation. You see waves off to the side that a lot less people go for. You catch a few of those... Since you don't want to wear out your welcome, you decide to catch only a few set waves at most. You surf with Aloha.... Kool!

5. You paddle out on an in-consistent day to a crowded spot. You stand outside everyone the whole duration of the lulls. You never sit down so you tower over others the whole time... You make sure you catch a wave from every set. KOOK!

6. You paddle out on an in-consistent day to a crowded spot. You feel like you're on stage so you stand off to the side or sit down between sets because you don't like blocking everyone's view of the beautiful ocean. You catch a couple waves then move to the inside or on to another spot or just paddle around because you figured out how to surf with Aloha... KOOL!!

7. You're pretty good and can get in and around the surf well... You surf crowded spots and catch all the waves you can. Small ones, set waves etc. Because you can surf good you get plenty waves. You're always calling people off your waves. You just can't help yourself to sit sets out so you basically take over the spot for the duration of your surf. HUGE SELFISH KOOK!!!!!!!!

8. You're pretty good and can get in and around the surf well... You go to a crowded spot and check out what's going on. You see some of the lesser quality waves going un-ridden and surf those. You catch a ton of waves but ones that no one really wants. You paddle out and get a few set waves but you make sure others get waves by quietly cluing them in to incoming sets. You become a quiet spotter of sorts for others to score good waves.... You always sit out a few sets. You use your high vantage point to stoke others out. KOOL!! (When you arrive and it's already crowded NOT GOING OUT THERE is the KOOLEST!)

9. You see how cool SUP surfing is because you can paddle fast and want to get back at those greedy longboarders. You decide to get into it to take over and be the dominent surfer at any spot at any time. Do the entire surfing world a favor and don't get into it. You are the biggest KOOK!!!!!!

10. You see how cool SUP surfing is because you can do something that is a challenge, get great exercise, paddle far up the coast at will, have a blast riding waves you never thought would be fun, discover new spots, like to enjoy the comraderie of the SUP surfers around the world. KOOL!!

Note:
If there are more than one of you SUP surfing, everything becomes doubled, tripled, quadrupled, etc.
Avoid heavy rotations with other SUP surfers when surfing with others.

Be aware of your actions and the actions of others. BE KOOL!


Cheers

Personally I am getting a bit tired of the whole sup bashing theme that is running riot at the moment. The only thing that has changed in the lineup is that instead of shortboarders and mal riders and goat boaters hating each other they now all have a new common enemy and will take any chance to have a shot at the sups. Yes there are some mindless morons on sups, both new and experieced too. Have you all forgotten how many more morons there are out there on the other surfcraft causing havic in the lineup ?? When we started supping 2+years ago we pretty much all started in the surf and we all had a great time falling off and laughing at each other and generally hanging s#it and really just enjoying the fun and challenges of sup. Christ,now in the lineup if someone falls off we look at them like they shouldn't be out there and how dare they kook a wave and blah blah blah. We have short memories some of us and we just need to chill out and help each other out and bring back the sup stoke that attracted us to start with.