Unforgiving Deadmans 23/3/05

[Luke]

Got there at 5:30am looked over to see Deadmans breaking all the way to Winki/Bower i was suprised as the wind wasn't acually that bad and the conditions were pretty good! nice and smooth.

Waited for more light at 6am i paddled out to Deadmans caught most of the smaller sets. as i have never surfed deadmans before during the day i had been bodyboarding between winki and deadmans at around midday i swam up to Deadmans again and caught a few smaller sets as i felt keen i went on a larger set and needless to say i couldn't make the section so i pulled in and got a pretty good view in the pit sucked up the face down the falls i got really badly smashed around trying to figure my where i was i opened my eyes i was in complete darkness the whitewash then subsided i looked around for any hint of light and way up which felt like looking up at a tall story building there was some light and more whitewash going past which made it dark again as i started to swim up i was running out of breathe fast i swam so hard to the top just as i got to the top i was facing the rocks i was about a metre away and i tried to feel around for any rocks but there was non! (was going low tide at around midday) i looked around and a huge amount of whitewash behind me i gasped for air and went under. geting smashed yet again this time i was under again as i was under i was trying to look for my board as i was pulling on the leash because i had no air and i thought the only way i was going to get out of this would be to hold onto my board. i couldn't find it i popped up again fighting for breathe i got a good amount and went under again this time my bicep leash got ripped off me and my board was long gone. although i was at winki.

If you were out at this time you would know that winki was geting pretty shallow and alot of water was unloading not really hollow but really sucky tried to keep calm and tried to swim around to bower. another set came and broke right near me, smashed again. if you watch clothe's being washed in a washing machine then you will understand the velocity of how i was being thrown about was intense i didn't know what up or down was, left to right. eventually i popped up yet again gasping for air. this time i find myself in shelly bay. with relief it was over. a jet ski saw what happened and came over to see if i was alright. he gave me a lift back to shelly beach where i sat down reliefed that i came out of the biggest wipe out i have ever experienced. for what seemed like half a day i finally managed to get up and look for my board. a surfer had put it on the rocks for me. which was great. (Thanks to who ever is reading this)

Obviously this happened pretty quickly. i called it a day after this, being very badly bruised. Wetsuit all cut up, body with cuts and very weak. for the rest of the day i also thought that i almost died. and still i feel very unsafe i am not sure that is the right word but i don't feel normal anymore this has defiently felt like an Experience i will not forget Scary shit

Now i know the real reason why they called the place Deadmans...

Bit of background on me, i have been bodyboarding for almost 9 1/2 years. although the early days when i was young it was on and off with school and other stuff. i first started bodyboarding in Tassie and we moved to Sydney started surfing at queensie throughout school. as i left in year 10 i started going to Shark Island, Black rock, Red Sands, The zone and other various place's. i would say that i am above average bodyboarder and i am very fit. i eat well i don't smoke or drink. i drink alot of water and i also train alot.

It will be a long time before i hit the water again.

Thanks for reading

[HB]

Luke, that sounds brutal. Makes you feel alive doesn't it? Good onya for having a dig. That's one for the grandkiddies.

[marcus]

onya luke for having a dig at it, and also not worrying whether or not people will laugh at your story.
it takes guts sometimes to tell a story the way it was or how you saw it.
hows it feel now, pretty good eh, knowing youve done something and come out of it, knowing next time you will go harder.

[sykout]

yeah, it seemed as though slater was trying to take off as late as possible to increase the drop

[Hawkeye]

Luke,

The important thing is you made it and you're still with us.

I've had a few close calls like that, and it taught me some big lessons. The ocean is alot more powerful than I am, and there's a limit to what I can handle. When it happened to me, I didn't go near the water for two weeks unless it was no more than knee high.

The rule I have now is that if I can't be sure of being able to swim in at the end of the session without my board, I don't go out.

Good on you for having the intestinal fortitude to share your story. Hope to meet you in the water soon.

Warm regards.

[christian]

good work mate...
dont you ever think you are going to die... hate that feeling when a big mutha breaks bout one meter in front of you.. sucks soooo much
good luck on revovery

[chrisb]

Luke, your'e a braver man than me. It's a terrible feeling after a wipeout when you don't know what way is up.
As the old saying goes "whatever doesn't kill you will make you stronger".

[snakes]

Hang on a minute

I got to the Bower about 6.20am & there was no-one in the water from Deadies to the Bower as far as I could tell. A couple of surfers rocked up about 5 minutes later and were watching Deadies for approx 30 minutes.

There was one other guy out who paddled in as I was going out around 7.30am. He only jumped in around 7.15 - he must have taken one look at it & needed to change undies or something as he was never seen again.

Wanto (as he said) paddled out right behind me.

Either

1./ I'm blind
2./ You paddled in before I got there
3./ Your invisible
4./ You're full of s.h.i.t.

Which one is it

snakes

[snakes]

there were plenty of bombs ridden and plenty of heavy wipeouts but no really bad ones.

So 3 lost/broken boards in 30 minutes doesn't qualify as really bad

snakes

[Luke]

cheers to the replies fellas.

I am still not feeling the normal way i usually feel. this is strange everything has changed lets hope it is not for long!

Hey snakes you might of not seen me as i went in because my wetsuit zipper had broken. maybe that's the time you didn't see me? as i had to fetch another wetsuit back at home...

[sykout]

the problem with deadmans is that, its so unpredictable. Every wave is almost completely different. Steps come out of nowhere making bottom turning tricky business. This makes getting barrelled there so much more rewarding, possibly than anywhere else on the northern beaches

[Luke]

skyout how was your session in the afternoon?

[bootcamp]

luke, all i can say, is good on ya, i love hearing stories of people charging and havin a go, good work, hope u get back in the water soon [img

[snakes]

lol, i guess i mean people about to drown/freaking out/hitting the rocks. i reckon everyone out there (when we were out there) were pretty much safe or in control the whole time. you always had a grin .. right?

Maybe on the outside, but on the inside I was stil operating on "Brown Underpants mode."

I hadn't been out in a large swell since last winter, so it took me a while to get used to being out in decent waves again.

snakes