Extreme Danger Exiting - Twist & Tumble

On the way in, I got pounded over the falls on a shore break spot where the slope was large and the shore was l5 feet away, but it was still deeper than 5.5 feet, so I had no hold on the bottom to walk in.  Wave was only 4 feet off the water, but water was deep so it was overhead.  I tried the stall move by shoving the board forward, but it wasn't enough at that point and I was held down, but not tumbled, just bowed down, it was powerful.  My only concern, however, was the fins on my board.  It was sent away, and then another wave, and the under toe is super strong there because the shore is very steep.

Not only is it steep and you get a 3 foot deep gravel infused wash going back out, but it comes from a 90 degree difference in direction because the waves arriving are at an angle.  So you can't even lift your foot until it thins down, but by that time, there is another breaker right at your back, very dangerous situation.  You have to climb a 5 foot hill with hardly any footing in a gravel wash that is coming down hard from shore and there is a breaker about to bend you forward again.  I finally got out and it was a real chore.  Now I know what those guys were talking about the other day when they complained about being held under and stuff.  When they told me to not do it.  See earlier post Sunday, September 5, 2010

If you are positioned right with your feet lined up perpendicular to the wave, they are not lined up correctly for the gravel infused backwash coming down the hill, they are parallel to that, but you can't really move your feet because they are sinking and being held down, but also, you would be on one foot and, not lined up for the next breaker 2 seconds away.  So it's easy to lose balance because you are either out of position for the breaker or the power wash.  Very tricky.  The only escape is smaller breakers and backwash and inching nearer to shore with your board not being whipped around and having fins ground into the sand.

The other day when I didn't go in, I was watching an elderly, and way out of shape couple at the shore.  I didn't take off my web gloves or leash.  There were no lifeguards, it was past the time that they leave.  I was slowly walking closer to them, they really shouldn't have been there at that place or that time.  I watched them and was ready to help in an instant.  There was younger but still way out of shape woman there also but doing more of what I was doing, not playing in the surf.  Luckily they weren't taken in but they were down for a while but able to get out safely.  I never took my eye off of them it was a very close call.  One that they never realized.  They got out ok, I went to the car.

I thought about how I've been conditioning myself for a year before returning to the ocean and this very round and unstable couple picked an amazingly bad moment to get in there.  I'll post about this year long conditioning at some point.

This is what I am talking about at this dangerous spot:

I call this 2 opposing forces & u have no grip 2 stop it - YOU ARE GOING DOWN

Second Plane of Opposing Forces!

So it's a twist and tumble, not good.