Still just do the swim under I reckon

Sheepdog wrote:

Does the reef gradually go from 6ft deep water to 6 inch deep over the 100m? Is there a hectic diagonal sweep down the reef?

Reef pretty much v-similar to Chopes . Except there is a reef pass . As opposed to Chopes right hander .
Goes from 500 ft -15ft deep at edge of reef around the peak/ corner in reef , slopes up to around 6 ft deep in about 5 metres then another 30 m gradually to dry or near enough to it on dead low tide .
The reef itself is at least 100m wide, and the slope drop off is sharper at the end of wave as a shear wall of coral which is about 2-3 ft deep near vertical down to atleast 150 ft deep pass .
On low tide the side sweep is pretty strong , under six ft of swell on high tide and there is very little sweep , and you'll washed all the way over the reef . Low tide and big is as bad as maxing deserts ( at the end of the grower section near the cliffs ).
Goofy he duck dived .

And popped up ok?

Negative ... Toast ... He Didn't surf again for that day ... Really rattled . Snapped board , and was washed right up onto near dry reef . Had to crawl to the lagoon .
I was nearest to him . Made it .

Well.... Firstly I'd be fucked off at myself for getting in that situation... I've obviously blown a takeoff, or paddled for the first wave of a set and missed it, or I've been skirting for a smaller wave...... I'd then be thinking this;
1 - getting washed up onto a gradual platform live dry reef isn't gonna kill ya..... Cuts, infection if not dealt with........ That's worse case....... Bootys and gloves help.....
2 - What can kill you in the above situation is an 8 footer picking you up and drilling you into 4 foot of water, or your board decapitating or spearing you.....

3 - So my 2 options would be A - to bail - no duck diving "sweet spot" due to foam ball overtaking impact zone......... Decent gloves, bootys and eyes wide open till impact would help....... Using physics, I'd fight power with power.... Wouldn't just sit there..... I'd penetrate to the bottom as hard and fast as I could.. I'd fight it till the battle was lost, then submit....
Or B - Now this is dicey ( pardon the pun).... I have never surfed a setup like this, southey..... Have surfed over live reef, but not how you've explained it.... have surfed alot of rocky reef/point setups too.... Alot of the wave energy is expelled in the first 5 seconds of breaking..... You then have a wall of whitewater thats gets smaller and smaller, losing power as gets closer to the reef..... Now, I'd have to suss this place out, but there have been times at big rocky points (that I know intimately) where I have paddled IN TOWARDS the rocks..... Yeah, madness But instead of getting drilled by an 8 foot cyclone swell impact zone, I ended up duck diving 3 foot walls of whitewater..... Yeah got swept down the point a bit, but didn't get drilled, or tangled with other boards or oncoming traffic....
But unless I was there to suss it before hand, I'd say option A....

Gloves??

Velcro

wellymon wrote:

Velcro

Lol :)
here you go, goofy - https://www.darkfingloves.com/darkfin-gloves.html

Sheepdog wrote:

wellymon wrote:

Velcro

Lol :)

here you go, goofy - https://www.darkfingloves.com/darkfin-gloves.html

Hah Cheers, thing I'd rather scrape my fingers off on the reef though..

Yeah lol.... Once I got a shallow reef wired, I agree....... Must admit though, I have used gloves similar to these out in Melanesia..... Freekn great for extra speed/ early entry.......But shit man, do they wear you out quick!!!!

https://s1296.photobucket.com/user/Southey/media/Toast_zpsaa4fd536.jpg.h…

That lips gonna fucken land on him Southey! Turtle said "when the wave breaks here, don't be here or else your gonna get drilled" in that movie North Shore when young Rick is about to paddle out at Pipeline. Good advice!