How did you break them mate!?

Through an impact vest that must have been a pretty hard hit! Would've helped more than hindered!

Must've been a hard hit or landing on your harness hook!

You also have your basic PFD and impact vests. Huge difference in these.

It all happened a little fast but presume harness hook did the damage, last rib. Either that or the bar. Either way I've done similar before but just bruising. Will look up NPX vest thanks mate.

Cat,
I have broken a couple of ribs myself, on two occasions now, both were due to my elbow hitting my rib cage as I was hammered into the water at great speed rather than the bar (probably more likely due to the fact that I am thin and don't have a great deal of natural body padding). I would be interested in other peoples experience of using an impact vest to prevent these rather painful experiences.

Cheers

AB

I use a Dakine impact harness combo... it rocks, i have complete manouverabily and no hesitation when pulling big moves. Spreads the weight nicely across ur back too.

Most rib injuries are from elbows smashing into rib cage upon impact. I broke 2 ribs almost 3 years ago from kiting and 2 ribs 7 years ago from surfing. They never really heal 100%, in my case anyway, i always get a bit of an ache after a big smash, and I always make sure my arms are out of the way. This year I bought a Dakine matrix impact vest and now wear it every session, it gives all the protection I need plus peace of mind, I have had a few big crashes since wearing it that i reckon could have caused some serious damage had i not have had it on. Definately worth the money, i wear them with dakine nitrous shorts with built in harness.

Bowski

Bowski where did you get your dakine impact vest?? Do you find the nitrous shorts any good, have heard they need extra padding? Cheers

Impact vests wont help if the ribs are due to the spreader bar on the harness doing the damage. Impact vests still hurt when you fall hard as you tend to bounce off the water rather than fall in it. they were designed more for wakeboarding and from a big dangly mis-timed jump wont help a huge lot.

cat said...

Bowski where did you get your dakine impact vest?? Do you find the nitrous shorts any good, have heard they need extra padding? Cheers

Hey Cat

Got them from offdalip.com, with the strong AUD it was a bargain. Shorts are great, I wear either a springy or wetsuit shorts under them. With regards to impact vests not protecting ribs on a big stack, I have never heard of anyone breaking a rib with one on, and if they did i would hate to think what would of happened if they didn't have one on. Peace of mind for me.

Bowski

I have heard via the forums that an impact vest in surf is actually quite dangerous as it keeps you near the water surface and does not allow you to get through or under a wave... i.e. the wave picks you up and takes you for a long underwater ride? Any thoughts, are you guys just using these in little waves or flatter water?

Hello,

I broke a rib last year (end of season fortunately!) while having an impact vest (I can not remember the brand, and the vest is too cold and wet in the back of the car to check now ) and a wet suit. Thus impact vest may not protect you from everything.

I missed a high jump, the kite did a serious loop in the power zone and I 'landed' ('crashed') fast, hard and badly on the ribs.

However, i kind of remember that the pain started at the take off, and then strongly increased at the 'landing' phase.

I used to significantly tight my harness, and I wonder if the spreader bar pushing my ribs up is not the cause of the injury during the take off, more than the 'landing'. Thus, I wonder if tighting the harness very much precludes sufficient movement of the impact vest over the body and ease breaking ribs? I am not a doctor and I have no idea about the relevance of this thought. I can not suitably remember either.

Anyway, I am now carefull not to tight too much the harness. Heaps of big jumps since, lots of crashes, but remaining ribs still in one bit! Yeah!

As said Bowsky, the former broken rib still hurts from time to time (and also sticks out a bit under the skin). But that's ok .

Be careful!

Fred

hi guys 2 lines of questions here now.

First an impact vest is an extra peice of safety equipment. Like all safety equipment it doesn't eliminate accidents. A motor cycles helmet will not guarantee you wont cause internal head trauma. Actually saw a guys head basically fall apart after a motorcycle accident. The helmet was in tack but the head wasn't. In normal circumstances impact vests or pfd's will reduce the degree of force you get from the impact. As other guys have said. The guys who have managed to break a rib with a vest or PFD on would probably have done some major trauma otherwise. The overtightened harness can be an issue as it may restrict the ribs ability to flex and take up some of the impact.

Second question was regarding pfd's or impact vests in the surf. Staying alive long term is generally the aim and impact vests which provide a level of bouyancy are really helpful. Windsurfers generally use PFD's. Seabreeze has reported that the guy who drowned at Caloundra was actually a kitesurfer and from what is known did not have a PFD on. If he did have, he would have had a much better chance of survival. I know of someone who had to do a packdown in heavy wind and surf conditions. He will be the first to tell you his PFD saved him as exhaustion set in way before he got to shore. PDF's are also great for beginners so they can float and get their board on without having to try and swim at the same time. At the end of the day, its personal choice, but how much does you life mean to you and the wife.

great winds guys