Originally posted by bigkahuna
Shane Dorian is an amazing surfer, he has my respect for that, but I have my doubts about his idea:
First, when you're caught in the "crunch zone" of big waves, the absolute last thing you want is to be on the surface of the water. The only
(relatively) safe place to be is as deep as you can go, grab hold to a coral head if you can, and wait for the wave to pass. Then scramble to the
surface, swim like hell, and repeat when the next wave comes. If you're on the surface, you'll either get pounded by the lip of the wave or go over
the falls and then pounded by the lip. Been there more times than I care to think about and when it happens you don't want anything to make you
float, not even your board.
Second, the floatation is centered on your back which would make your body float -face down-. If you're teetering on consciousness and needed help
this would almost assuredly cause you to drown. That's why USCG approved PFD's (personal floatation devices) are required to float you in a position
where your head and face are above the surface of the water. This device could actually be more dangerous than wearing nothing at all.
I'm no Shane Dorian but I've been surfing for 30+ years and there's no way I would wear that thing in the water. |
