what does “spread apart” mean? i say that over and over when i take more than one person surfing. if you paddle out too close, or ride the wave too close, there is a chance of getting hurt by each others body, or surfboard. it’s hard to absorb in the water when i’m saying it but i see accidents all the time that could have been prevented by just “spreading apart.”
i’ve been taking these 2 girls surfing ever since they were born. i’ve must have said “spread out” over a thousand times. i explained why over and over but they never listened. so recently, i just don’t bother wasting my time and saying it. then it finally happened! they paddled out close together, the caught a wave too close together, and the almost both went to the hospital close together. one more inch and one of the girls would have had a hard epoxy surfboard breaking her nose or face. thank god that didn’t happen, but now they know what could have.
there is a simple rule. an average longboard is 9′. an average leash is 9′, or 10′ after it stretches. so add it up and you have about 20′. then add your own board and leash up and you have 20′. so if you want to keep your body and surfboard safe from other bodies and surfboards, spread out 40′. and if you don’t listen, someday you might be lucky and just get hit in the leg like one of these girls, or someday you might not and be taken in an ambulance to the hospital. the choice is yours.
so “SPREAD OUT!”
