Gday all what are the thoughts on helmets whilst surfing?
Do they impede vision or hearing.
Until recently have taken the odd Starbie headbutt nothing to serious.
But on Saturday took a King Starbie hit and ended up with 8 stitches to the eye.
And a big thanks to SupGman for the ride to Milton Hospital.

Ouch.. I think they're a good idea.. Especially in biger surf.. You forget they're there after a while..

I can't work out why more people don't wear them..boards and fins are pretty dangerous.

That said I don't wear one but I do wear a soft cap to keep the sun off but that is more because at my business I see so many 50yo+ ex surfers/surf lifesaver clubbies with bits cut off….I know of 3 who have died from skin cancers in the last couple of years also.

I wear one occasionally when the surf gets bigger. A guy sadly died at Pt Leo last year and I think it was because he hit his head. But I have often wondered whether they give you any protection from the front. Supdog - would it have prevented your injury?

It's hard to say if it would have prevented the full impact.
I think it would have reduced the impact as the helmet would have been hit first.I briefly saw the board coming and just turned my head quickly it just missed my eye.

I wear mine most of the time - after copping a couple of heavy knocks to the scone and been 'lucky', but...

I have the Gath 'surf convertible' one. No issues with vision and I don't think it impedes my hearing enough to be a worry, really good for keeping warm in winter although gets a little toasty in the warmer months.

GORE ALERT!

The photo is of my best mate's (Supdog) head gash thanks to his new Wide Point. Nasty to say the least. He went straight from the hospital to buy a Gath helmet. It's got me thinking now. I've surfed for over 30 years with not even a slight mishap. We were at a remote location near Ulladulla and this could have been so much worse. I often surf this spot alone and if this happened to me then I would have been in real trouble.
Thanks to Adrian from South Coast SUP for providing first aid as well.

Go the gath Gedi ..great fit ...not as restricting as the others ..you can take the ear fittings off ..also can get a sunvisor that looks like a welding helmet .acts like a peak hat .I wear mine windsurfing .Ive been hit by the boom too many times ...wear it suping in the winter ...keeps the head warm.they are a must to a action waterman .

Select to expand quote

supgman said..
GORE ALERT!

The photo is of my best mate's (Supdog) head gash thanks to his new Wide Point. Nasty to say the least. He went straight from the hospital to buy a Gath helmet. It's got me thinking now. I've surfed for over 30 years with not even a slight mishap. We were at a remote location near Ulladulla and this could have been so much worse. I often surf this spot alone and if this happened to me then I would have been in real trouble.
Thanks to Adrian from South Coast SUP for providing first aid as well.

That's quite a dent!

I recently got a Gath Gedi. Snug fit with the ear pieces that can be removed. I only wear it windsurfing and SUPing big surf. Its not good having a fin open up the side of your head.

Thanks for the feedback guys but here is the thing, the common theme here is the helmet seems to pop out when the surf is big. This accident happened in 1 to 2 foot so are you guys saying that you are confident that accidents will not happen in smallish surf?

Greeny I saw your fin gash & that was nasty so you surprise me that the helmet is not a full time accessory?

Vote #3 for the Gath Gedi. I got the visor with the GoPro fitting, which is frankly, poorly integrated and pretty ugly although I suppose no helmet is a fashion statement. The visor is fine, it's the GoPro bit bolted on that looks crap. I wear mine in white water river paddling.

I draw the line at Helmets

In all seriousness I have been a huge advocate for flotation, and would certainly recommend it before a helmet.

Ultimately you want to float to breath and to survive. I wear a rib protector and O'Neill Gooru wakeboard vest under my wetsuit 100% of the time. Even if its 2 feet. It is extremely nice to float to the surface when you are holding a paddle. It is especially nice when the waves get big not to wonder which way is up.

When the waves are going to be bigger than 15 feet I double down on the flotation. Each vest adds 4 feet of confidence.

If you are comfortable to 6 feet add a vest and you will be good at 10 feet. Add another and you will giggle when canon balling off a 14 foot face.

The rig shown here includes:

1) High School Football rib protector (Cracked ribs 2X while SUP surfing)
2) O'Neill Gooru wakeboard vest
3) Supreme 3-2-1 XXL Short, Fat-Guy suit to fit it all in
4) Camelbak (for hydration)
5) Waterski vest for double flotation
6) GoPro to record the mayhem

I often wear a Predator Lee, largely because of the peak as it keeps the sun off and adds a little bit more face protection. They're also pretty light and comfortable.

It is in French, but here is the report of a Surfing Medic that analysed all the surfing accidents (reports from hospitals) this summer in the southwest of France:
blog.surf-prevention.com/2015/04/08/accidents-de-surf-cote-basque-landes/

In summary:
- 4.6 reports per day
- 20% are serious, of which: 20% more than 8 stitches, 30% strains, 25% broken bones
- 70% come to the hospital themselves, 24% by ambulance, 2% helicopter
- 75% are hits with a board (62% with their own board), of which 65% are injured by the fins
- leash is the cause of accident for 4%, but 50% of which are serious, always to the arms.
- board hits: 50% to the head 25% to the limbs (mostly upper). 66% are cuts, 20% bruises.
- crashes with other people: 13%, bottom: 18%
- 50% of all injuries are to the head, 30% to limbs, 14% vertebral column
- 50% are cuts, 30% bruises, 16% strains, 5% broken bones.

So, a helmet and sanding your fins seem a very good idea...

Helmets are often not cool until after you need one.

If some of the pros start wearing / endorsing them they would become more acceptable.
The same thing happened with cycling, in the 70's cricket batsmen started wearing them after a series of injuries, and around the same time NHL players started to where them after some serious accidents.

Many skiers , snowboarders ,skaters, wear helmets

With the continued increase in the number of surfers obviously there will be more accidents .

It is even possible in this litigation mad world that people could sue for damages if they were injured by another surfer placing pressure on authorities and the industry to campaign for the use of helmets.

It will be very interesting to see where this issue goes over the next few years.

I wear a Gath and find it keeps my head warmer as a bonus.

I have had my fins cuts my legs a couple of times and don't fancy any on my head!

however, when it's sunny and hi glare I put on a hat and floaty sunnies.

so an open helmet rather than a Gath might be better depending on circumstances.

I've invested in a Gath Jedi since the love touch from my carbon widepoint and I plan to wear it whilst surfing regardless of the wave size.
I can remember when helmets came out for skiers and snowboarders and they had similar reactions.Now everyone wears them,I've bought the carbon look and I think it looks ok.
if it prevents another cut and preserves a cracking session I'd wear a onesie.

Woa, cutting it close. That's going to look like a mike tyson tatoo later.
If you look at colas's numbers the helmet is the best insurance we can get.

When you get to tell the story later on it'll suck saying it happened in 1-2.
But that's the way it is. I scare myself on big waves and hurt myself in the small stuff.

Rugby helmet - €40 (exists also in €20 version) - it floats too
http://www.decathlon.fr/casque-de-rugby-ventilator-id_8277749.html

Select to expand quote

John4F said...
Rugby helmet - €40 (exists also in €20 version) - it floats too
http://www.decathlon.fr/casque-de-rugby-ventilator-id_8277749.html

I'm thinking if you're going to wear a helmet it might as well be a hard shell type.. Being hit by your board can be like someone swinging a baseball bat at your head and I know I'd rather a hard shell to protect my head than a softer foam type like this rugby helmet..

I ALWAYS wear my gath helmet -even in the flatwater. Interestingly I was going to a family outing at a Gold Coast water park and they wouldn't let me wear it on the slides!!!! Puzzled by that one.

Select to expand quote

TheBlindman said...
I ALWAYS wear my gath helmet -even in the flatwater. Interestingly I was going to a family outing at a Gold Coast water park and they wouldn't let me wear it on the slides!!!! Puzzled by that one.

They must have a deal going with the local medical center..