Hi guys. Today I was using my 5.5 on a barely 15 knots to exercise on the harness. On a certain point I did catapult but for somehow the line twisted on my harness and I was below the sail. I drank a lot of water and I was f... Scared. How should I avoid such a looser mistake?

Mostly, DONT PANIC
You have more time than you think as seconds underwater can seem like minutes.
pull yourself towards the boom to release the pressure and calmly grab your harness hook with one hand and release it.

Was w/surfing with a mate (surf lifesaver) a couple of years ago & wondered why he was de-rigging on the beach - turned out he had gone head-first through the sail & was trapped upside-down between the boom & sail head under water, hooked-in with his legs in the air.

He said that he tried to rite himself for a while - no good...then calmly decided (as he was about to run out of air) that the only way out was to push his arms backwards through the small space he had between his body & sail, undo his (old-seat) harness and slip forward. I doubt I would've had the sense and coordination to do that...bloody scary!

As mentioned, don't panic, and it's not a loser mistake - happens to everyone!

Happened to my son a while ago, first thing I did was to go and buy one of those quick release harnesses (but not with the big padding) :



I have the same, (in XL) handy....

Agree with all of the above comments.

It can happen to anyone. Not confined to newbies. Everyone gets caught sometime.

I think the problem comes from being caught up on the harness line while mid-gybe and then being thrown forward and sometimes depending on the severity, being spun at the same time. This causes the harness line to twist onto the harness hook and makes getting free very difficult indeed, more so when you are underneath the sail in waves.

It has happened to me twice in one day. The first time I got out OK, but the second time the harness line twisted and I couldn't get free. So doing my best not to PANIC while holding my breath, I spun myself in the opposite way to how I was thrown and the line released me (all the while being pushed along by the wave). Think it was more good luck than good management.

Called it a day after that. Don't like the idea of drowning that much! The quick release harness has a lot going for it, especially when in surf.

I have had that happen too and it is very scary. You tend to panic first and think later.
If you sweep your hand from across your chest downward you will disengage the line, otherwise just use your hand to pull the line off the hook.
If all else fails, unclip the harness.

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seanhogan said...


Happened to my son a while ago, first thing I did was to go and buy one of those quick release harnesses (but not with the big padding) :



I have the same, (in XL) handy....

I have a couple of pro limit harnesses both with the quick release and it's great for quickly getting out of the harness during or after a session... While stood by your car!

Try getting it undone in a hurry with any kind of tension applied to the hook ... Sorry but it ain't going to happen. 1) finding the tiny little loop while underwater and winded is not easy, 2) if the hook is under pressure that tiny little loop provides no significant purchase to pull on, and finally 3) it is much easy to remain calm reach forward and simply lift the hook clear of the line.

IMO

Yeah it can happen to anyone.

Last time it happened to me it was scary. Dumped under the sail and twisted around while hooked in. I got in an air pocket under the sail, caught my breath and then untwisted myself.


Soon after I bought a Neil Pryde harness with a quick release system for the harness bar. Its similar to the ratchet/buckle system used on ski boots. I've tested it and its pretty easy to make a quick release by just flicking the tabs. I haven't had to use it in a situation where I'm caught under the sail but I'm confident it would allow an easier escape.

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grumplestiltskin said...

Mostly, DONT PANIC
You have more time than you think as seconds underwater can seem like minutes.

Too true, think about how long it takes to get out of our harness after a sail, bugger all even when doing it at your leisure, so DON'T PANIC you have plenty of time. Stay calm and try getting untangled, if too hard just bail the harness, as I said you have plenty of time

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Mobydisc said...

Yeah it can happen to anyone.

Soon after I bought a Neil Pryde harness with a quick release system for the harness bar. Its similar to the ratchet/buckle system used on ski boots. I've tested it and its pretty easy to make a quick release by just flicking the tabs. I haven't had to use it in a situation where I'm caught under the sail but I'm confident it would allow an easier escape.

+1

Same story, same result, those pryde bars are pretty good

After this happened to me the first time (as a noob) I started carrying a pocketknife every time I went windsurfing! But it soon turned into a useless blob of rust!

Be careful with the kite hook as they are not Mede for windsurfing just for this reason
Also don't let this damped your windsurfing energy it's all fun

It is funny because I have a mystic harness with a quick release.
It is this one:



The problem is that when you are under the water and you realize you are hooked in, the panic is the first thing
By the way, I am glad I am not the only one that faced the issue. I am planning to spend one or two hours on the beach and try all the possible hooking positions underwater so that I will get use to this situation.
Anyway, first time it's pretty scary ...

Did the same thing in a World Cup heat last week; even happens to the pro's.

Relax, pull up, unhook... (*am talking about 'windsurfing' yes!)

From the pictures it looks to me like both these harnesses are kite harnesses. I'm yet to see a windsurfing harness with a handle on the back or with the spread nose on the hook. They would have to make it harder to get out of even when hooking in and out without a stack. The harness on the top is my wifes kite harness and the one on the bottom is my windsurfing harness. My suggestion is if you have a bar like the top one get one like the bottom and put it on your harness.

Great advice qldnacra.
I would very strongly urge any windsurfer with a kiters hook to change it before using it again, might just save your life.

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qldnacra said...

From the pictures it looks to me like both these harnesses are kite harnesses. I'm yet to see a windsurfing harness with a handle on the back or with the spread nose on the hook. They would have to make it harder to get out of even when hooking in and out without a stack. The harness on the top is my wifes kite harness and the one on the bottom is my windsurfing harness. My suggestion is if you have a bar like the top one get one like the bottom and put it on your harness.

Windsurf harnesses have the hook specifically designed to let the harness line release if it gets twisted. The opposite with kite harnesses.
Get rid of the kite harness...dangerous if you get flicked.

This is absolutely a very valuable info.
I will order one right away.
Does the harness hook fit any harness?

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raffaeu said...

This is absolutely a very valuable info.
I will order one right away.
Does the harness hook fit any harness?

Depends on strap width, wide straps don't fit in a narrow slot.

I have a standard type hook as illustrated - but I had adjustable harness lines with a small ball on line to assist with changing length on the fly - got flicked, ended up under sail but locked in with no idea what was holding me in. Luckily able to get a breath by forcing sail aside - then realised all I had to do was loosen straps on harness and step out of harness. Turns out the small adjustment ball on harness lines was just the right size to slide in top of hook; and with my weight etc. effectively locked me in - certainly does give you a scare when used to a simple unhook!!

I'll try to find the hook for my harness from Mystic (I doubt it ...)
Otherwise I should start to bother 'the decision maker' about buying a new harness

I use a Reactor roller instead of hook been using these bars for last 10+years, take some getting use to but they are frictionless while hooked in and you can really feel and feather the sail, best of all when you crash the hanrness line drops out most of the time and doesn't twist like the hook.