If you've been in the stand up paddling game for more than a couple of seasons, chances are you've copped one or two hits from something hard. Sometimes there's blood, sometimes there's bruises, but usually you're ok. Other times, you're not ok, like this guy who took a stand up paddle board fin to the head.

Before doctors stitched him up, when the flap of skin was still dangling off his head. It's nasty, we warn you now, and we're not the squeamish type.

So what happened?

"A fin to the head and a long paddle to the beach!" Says the man with the stitches - Owen. 'Greenroom' in the stand up paddling forums, who later added "Thanks Dave for driving me to Margaret River hospital and my good nurse friends John and Sandy for looking after me."

So how do you avoid this kind of thing happening to you?

Three tips to avoid copping your stand up paddle board in the surf.

Wear a helmet. If you're accident prone, still in the kooky stage or run extra sharp fins. Maybe a helmet isn't a bad idea? Surfers don't think paddlers are cool anyway, a helmet isn't going to make them think any less of you.

Wear a long leggy. Believe it or not, some fin gashes are caused by too-short-leashes. When your board gets releashed by a wave, the recoil on your leggy combined with an ill-timed kick of your ankle can send it skipping towards your face.

Cover your head. When things go bad, sometimes it's better to go fetal and wait it out. Hands over head, knees up, stay calm and the bad things will go away. A fin sticking out of your arm might just be better than having one wedged in your important facial bits.

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