RE: [Paddlewise] Dumpie was on vacation

Hi Matt,

Your analysis is very interesting in several ways. I got from it some
very good counsel and some things I shall never forget to do under
similar conditions, which I hope not to find again.

The most valuable advise is to paddle to the wave and face the vertical
wall, which is always a better approach than to sit where it falls on
you. It makes a lot of sense to face it and roll as you get to it. Then
you will travel with the rising wall and with the body resistance you
will stay behind the crashing soup. As a swimmer I used to float
horizontal, with head towards the wave and as it made the tube, would
lift me up and keep me behind it. I would stay with arms open and wait
for the lift, stand vertical on the green wall, and then just rest in
the calm waters watching the wave thundering to shore.

The second has to do with protecting the face from the paddle pushed by
the wave. It is a good advise. Now let me tell you that my paddle is a
Lendhal with 70 degrees feather. The sun hitting in front doesn4t allow
a clear picture and the paddle looks unfeathered but it was feathered.

The other advise is to paddle more agressively, as Scott said, at all
times while in the surf. Both while going out and when catching a wave.
I seemed to be slow all the time with a poor power stroke.

Now, all that said, let me tell you that the wave was very very big, as
compared to the other waves I had been running in that day, in that
section of the beach. As you can see in the video, as I was resting I
turned around and saw the big swell forming, I decided to go for it, and
as I started turning it looked to me that I was not going to get there
on time and it kept growing and growing, so at one time I decided to
turn and go back but it seemed too late also. So I just froze. The
situation was beyond my previous experience and didn't know what the
best course of action would be.

Now I must mentalize that next time I must paddle hard to it, and if it
seems obvious that I will not go across, then I should go to hit it,
roll and try to expose the least cross section (leaning backward or
forward) so as to keep going and let the energy part of the wave pass
by. 

Regarding the paddle in the turn moil, let me tell you that, as you
suggest, I had the paddle only in one hand, which was my right hand, and
I held very hard to it. Still the spine elongation was from the pull on
only that hand. I didn't want to let the paddle go, for no reason. If
you see the video in detail you'll see that on the first scene
immediately after the blast the kayak emerges to the surface, almost
instantly. Showed that floating bodies react to floatation forces
immediately. My tight fit in the boat kept me in it. So part of my body
went up with the boat and part was going down with the paddle. 

I think it is almost impossible to hold the paddle with both hands under
those conditions. In one hand it twists your arm and wrist in almost all
directions, but can align better to the forces. It becomes the challenge
of the moment to stay with it. Funny though during those seconds in that
fight, there is a certain feeling of pleasure or happiness to the right
response to the challenge, in the same manner as few seconds earlier the
feeling was of fear at the imminent crash, and then after the roll,
there is was feeling of accomplishment or success, for having come out
of the threat complete and in control, finally the last feeling is of
humbleness and gratitude, because things could have been much worse.

Thanks for your advise. 

Best Regards,

Rafael
Mexico.
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