Jeez, give the guy a break. The list of things we SHOULD do when SUPing is very long (eg. wearing helmets like kayakers do; always wearing a pfd; carrying flares, PLB, VHF radio etc etc) but most of us don't do at least some of them either all or some of the time. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone".
I am not sure if this link will work, but a mate back in Scotland came across a group of kids who were being giving a lesson by a SUP school not a single leash on, and it was offshore Aberdeen beach. The instructors now know the danger of not wearing a leash.
www.facebook.com/groups/supinscotland/permalink/1757516671155241/
Think it was the leash that killed the young woman in NZ at whangamata when her board went under a boat in a tidal situation and she was unable to free herself from the leash and drowned.
There is no simplistic formula or catchphrase or advertising jingle that is pertinent to every situation?
Yep. I've nearly drowned four times in my life because of a trapped leash. They can save your life in some situations and kill you in others.
I wear a leash most of the time, on the local river that is two feet deep, twenty feet wide and 7kms long I never wear a leash, paddled more then 1000kms(gps verified) on that river and haven't fallen off once.
Paddling on the ocean and surfing I always wear a calf leash. Downside of that is in 14weeks/16surfs/18hrs on the water I wore a hole in the leg of my brand new toasty warm O'Neil wet suit 
. Guess I will chop the legs off at the knee and have a nice new shorty for spring. 
Just because some fool on an airbed makes a whole bunch of bad decision doesn't make wearing a leash an Absolut. The learners I teach in 1 foot of water would get completely tangled in a leash if I made them wear one on their first go but once they have their balance, then its time to fit the restraint.
Great video DJ, gutsy move by your paddle buddy attempting to rescue you.
Select to expand quoteArea10 said..
Jeez, give the guy a break. The list of things we SHOULD do when SUPing is very long (eg. wearing helmets like kayakers do; always wearing a pfd; carrying flares, PLB, VHF radio etc etc) but most of us don't do at least some of them either all or some of the time. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone".
I think the lesson is, if you ever make a mistake, don't ever acknowledge it publicly or post on any forum for the benefit of others to make sure someone else doesn't die. The lesson is to be incredibly selfish so that all the experts don't get a chance to criticise you. And make sure you can swim a long way and you are impervious to cold, heat, cramp and dehydration.
Select to expand quoteRedThumb said..
I wear a leash most of the time, on the local river that is two feet deep, twenty feet wide and 7kms long I never wear a leash, paddled more then 1000kms(gps verified) on that river and haven't fallen off once.
Paddling on the ocean and surfing I always wear a calf leash. Downside of that is in 14weeks/16surfs/18hrs on the water I wore a hole in the leg of my brand new toasty warm O'Neil wet suit . Guess I will chop the legs off at the knee and have a nice new shorty for spring.
Just because some fool on an airbed makes a whole bunch of bad decision doesn't make wearing a leash an Absolut. The learners I teach in 1 foot of water would get completely tangled in a leash if I made them wear one on their first go but once they have their balance, then its time to fit the restraint.
Great video DJ, gutsy move by your paddle buddy attempting to rescue you.
I know PTWoody's response was sarcastic (and a very good response), but is yours? Or yours Area10 or Gizzie? What DJ did was brave, sensible, and responsible - and will help a lot of people - if they have an open mind and can learn. Sure, in 1 foot of water in a narrow river maybe you don't need a leash. Hardly the point. Wearing a hole in your wetty; you need a wetty that isn't made of paper. Yes, I was held under when my leash caught on a reef. Sh!t happens, but I released the leash and was fine. Three times. And I am very sorry about the young woman in NZ. But on downwinders, and when paddling away from shore, and in all surf, a leash is mandatory - but you need practice in releasing it if necessary. Can you reach down and quickly release it?
can'tSUPenough - I'm not entirely sure I understand your comment above in relation to my precious posts, but it seems maybe like you've found some ambiguity in my comments. So, just in case that's true, let's clear that up. I was saying that DJ was very brave and responsible in posting the video of his mishap so that others could learn from his mistakes. It takes a lot of confidence to do that, and a rare sense of commitment to the greater good rather than one's own ego.
And no-one I think (and certainly not me) is suggesting that leashes have no worth as a safety item. Leash use has nearly killed me 4 times, but it will probably have saved me MANY more times than that. Not wearing a leash when downwinding in the sea is virtually always a stupid and risky thing to do. BUT there are SOME situations where the dangers of wearing a leash can outweigh the advantages. To some extent these disadvantages can be offset by things like using a waist leash rather than a leg mounted one. But they do exist, and are probably the reason why eg. kayakers are not typically tethered to their boats.
So, it would be lovely if the situation were so simple that the statement "leashes save lives" was ALWAYS true. But, annoyingly, it isn't. The correct statement might be "leashes save more lives than they take", or "leashes usually save lives" or "leashes can kill you sometimes, but mostly they will save your life".
It would be easy to list the situations where you should wear a leash, and those where wearing a leash might be dangerous, and tell people to educate themselves in leash use just like everyone should educate themselves about any other aspect of water safety. We all make judgement calls about risk every time we go in the water. DJ made a judgement call here and it didn't work out -although he knew that because of the direction of the wind and shore etc the risks were offset a bit, and had I think to be set against other risks to his companion (there is, as I seem to remember, a backstory to the events of that day which make DJ's actions more understandable). So DJ's situation was not as simple as it seems, just as the whole issue of leash use (and which leash to use) is not quite as simple as it seems either.
There's no sarcasm here. It is a hugely important debate, and one that will save lives, as will DJ's brave video. So I think it would be great to avoid losing people's attention or sympathies by being too simplistic, or too judgemental. We all want the same outcome, I think. And I think we probably all agree, broadly.
I was responding to a range of comments, not just yours. I may have been judgmental, but I think the message of "leashes saves lives" should not be diluted by comments about the rare situations where leashes could create an additional risk (or are unnecessary). A LOT of people read these threads, and many of them are new to the sport, so it is important (I think) to send a clear message - wear your leash. People with far greater experience may be able to identify situations where a leash is not required, but for everyone else the message should be simple and clear.
Bought a fresh leash yesterday as my old one is a couple of years old and due for a replacement "to be on the safe side". Just read the back of the packet as per photo. Note final statement. WTF???
Thoughts y'all?
It will just be a legal thing I should imagine. Maybe if something is advertised as a safety device then there are a raft of expensive testing and certification procedures that would have to be gone through that would make the product unprofitable to bring to market.
Select to expand quotecantSUPenough said..RedThumb said..
I wear a leash most of the time, on the local river that is two feet deep, twenty feet wide and 7kms long I never wear a leash, paddled more then 1000kms(gps verified) on that river and haven't fallen off once.
Paddling on the ocean and surfing I always wear a calf leash. Downside of that is in 14weeks/16surfs/18hrs on the water I wore a hole in the leg of my brand new toasty warm O'Neil wet suit . Guess I will chop the legs off at the knee and have a nice new shorty for spring.
Just because some fool on an airbed makes a whole bunch of bad decision doesn't make wearing a leash an Absolut. The learners I teach in 1 foot of water would get completely tangled in a leash if I made them wear one on their first go but once they have their balance, then its time to fit the restraint.
Great video DJ, gutsy move by your paddle buddy attempting to rescue you.
I know PTWoody's response was sarcastic (and a very good response), but is yours? Or yours Area10 or Gizzie? What DJ did was brave, sensible, and responsible - and will help a lot of people - if they have an open mind and can learn. Sure, in 1 foot of water in a narrow river maybe you don't need a leash. Hardly the point. Wearing a hole in your wetty; you need a wetty that isn't made of paper. Yes, I was held under when my leash caught on a reef. Sh!t happens, but I released the leash and was fine. Three times. And I am very sorry about the young woman in NZ. But on downwinders, and when paddling away from shore, and in all surf, a leash is mandatory - but you need practice in releasing it if necessary. Can you reach down and quickly release it?
Can you reach down and quickly release it?
Yep, I sew an extra tag on mine and release my leg rope and coil it up on the last wave of the day so I can step off my board in 1ft on water and never let my board touch the beach. Its not that hard, been doing it since I was a kid.
I can hold my breath for a ridiculously long time, so don't get held down long enough to have to release my leg rope. Admittedly my local has small to medium waves and I understand, from past experience, that your leggy can get caught under reef and being able to release your leggy is essential, hence my little tag to release and practice routine each session.
I read the extra info DJ provided a link for, he had an escape plan and it worked.
If you want to be a zealot and demand newbies wear a legrope 100% of the time go right ahead. Seems very nanny state to me
In river white water, the whole leashes save lives thing is very contentious. We advise that leashes are very much an option in white water simply because they CAN kill if they snag either side of a rock or fallen tree or debris in rapid moving water. You absolutely must not use an ankle or calf leash in white water. It has to be waist connected and it has to have a quick release rather than velcro.
Great story ,just shows how quick ,our lives can be changed by one mistake .
treat your board like a angry dog .leash It.Or it will escape and maybe hurt someone .in this case the owner .
great advise on the tangling of leashes PTWoody .it seems like a risky Sup sport white water paddling .not to Mention always wear a helmet when rocks are about .
how many fins do you go through.?
Select to expand quoteHawaiiheke said..
Bought a fresh leash yesterday as my old one is a couple of years old and due for a replacement "to be on the safe side". Just read the back of the packet as per photo. Note final statement. WTF???
Thoughts y'all?
They are just protecting their own arses ....
Select to expand quoteTardy said..
Great story ,just shows how quick ,our lives can be changed by one mistake .
treat your board like a angry dog .leash It.Or it will escape and maybe hurt someone .in this case the owner .
great advise on the tangling of leashes PTWoody .it seems like a risky Sup sport white water paddling .not to Mention always wear a helmet when rocks are about .
how many fins do you go through.?
Yeah helmet is mandatory going over rocks but we also wear knee pads and shin guards from motocross. Fins are practically a disposable item. Half the time it's not even worth having fins. It's rare for us to make it through a session without hitting a rock and mangling at least one fin. The boards we use are quad set up so there's a fair chance that one out of four will come back ruined or else lost forever.
Back on topic, this is the leash we use. Check out the quick release mechanism - just pull the little ball and the lock releases.
Select to expand quoteAnd then said..
When / how often should leashes be replaced?
Not really sure but I'd say before a National Titles race would be a good idea......... Just sayin!!! 
Select to expand quoteAnd then said...
When / how often should leashes be replaced?
Good question..
I've used the same leashes for years and had no problems although I have a few of them and I rotate them rather than use the same one all the time..
I think all you can do is buy a quallity brand.. and check for any nicks or cuts.. and avoid uv when possible.. and avoid tight bending when storing..
Some believe in rinsing with fresh water after each use but I've never ever rinsed mine and don't see what good it does.. in fact IMO it might do more harm than good..
I try to monitor how often they get stretched. If you get slammed and the board is pulling hard, it must be stretching. I don't keep a count but if I know I have had some bad wipe-outs (in real surf) then I will replace it.
(And I also replace them before a surf trip.)
Select to expand quotePTWoody said..
Yeah helmet is mandatory going over rocks but we also wear knee pads and shin guards from motocross. Fins are practically a disposable item. Half the time it's not even worth having fins. It's rare for us to make it through a session without hitting a rock and mangling at least one fin. The boards we use are quad set up so there's a fair chance that one out of four will come back ruined or else lost forever.
Back on topic, this is the leash we use. Check out the quick release mechanism - just pull the little ball and the lock releases.
you guys are Gladiators....
cool waist rope..great idea..
keep your ropes out of the sun.....if the urethane starts to go hard and brittle ,time to change ...2 years..i reckon ...if you use the same one ..
Select to expand quoteDavidJohn said..
Some believe in rinsing with fresh water after each use but I've never ever rinsed mine and don't see what good it does.. in fact IMO it might do more harm than good..
I used to rince the neoprene in the cuffs and the swivels (early brass swivels corroded), but it has been a while I didn't do it, and I see no visible damage. The cord will break before the other component it seems nowadays.
Select to expand quoteArea10 said..
Jeez, give the guy a break. The list of things we SHOULD do when SUPing is very long (eg. wearing helmets like kayakers do; always wearing a pfd; carrying flares, PLB, VHF radio etc etc) but most of us don't do at least some of them either all or some of the time. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone".
My response was more along the once bitten twice shy route...
Wow. That's nuts. Could happen to anyone. We've been using the coiled leashes, on calf of waist, with a quick release. Hala and Badfish both have good options.
First off a big thank you to DJ for posting his video as it helps the learner sup students out there like me be more prepared when taking on more challenges, in my profession we prefer to call this reflection and a learning experience for all. I just went out and got a vest for my board in the lake and its actually pretty comfortable to paddle in.
When I was a grommet and growing up we all went off to surf camp in the holidays at school and we were specifically instructed on leashes. Always wear one that you can detach in the surf if it is over head height. Once the surf is bigger it is actually more dangerous with a leash. You are only wearing a leash in 2-4 foot conditions for ease of use and not having to swim after your board. Always have a larger leash for bigger waves.
OK leashes were only like 20 bucks back then and at 55-65 dollars I can see the problem with buying a couple these days. Not sure the technology and materials have justified that price hike either.
A short version of DJ's video was posted on Standup Journal's Facebook page: www.facebook.com/standupjournal/?fref=ts
(It's worth going there just for the cover shot.)
The post (you have to scroll down a few) appears to have had 61,000 views in 10 hours.
Talk about raising awareness in the importance of a leggie.
Select to expand quotewavelength said..
A short version of DJ's video was posted on Standup Journal's Facebook page:
Talk about raising awareness in the importance of a leggie.
That's the idea.. It's a little hard reading all the smart comments calling me a dumass and stupid etc but if out of all the people that see this if it saves just one life along with increasing awareness to this important issue it make all my embarrassment well worth while.. 
