Rock Jumping

Where is that?

yeah I have seen a few close at hand over the years. One of my good mates got smashed in front of us at Raglan one day many moons ago and we had to drag him out - he was suffering concusion at the time and was pretty beat up. We still give him ** about it 20 yrs later!

Another mate of mine borrowed a board of mine 8 months ago and got caught jumping off at Dee Why point - he was fine - the board was / still is farrrrked!!!

i dont think this poor guy will try it again

Keep them coming.

Do rock climbs fit into this thread?

How about a story?

Late season Bluff, thus low tides. Only my second surf there so I don't really know about the keyhole step up. On my way in (on a low tide) the keyhole is sucking dry and the step up barely has any water with the incoming waves so there is a nice little surge banging against the ledge. I sit in the surge going up and down, back and forward sussing out what to do. I don't have any faith that I can scramble onto the ledge without getting sucked off and smashed by the next wave. So I slowly edge may way into the keyhole where it is pretty much a seven to eight foot short dump (vertical height people not wave height). So I play in that for a while, feel the rhythm and decide that is the go. Wait for a set, come in on the back of a wave, let the water drain out and walk up the key and climb the rocks before the next wave.

So that's what I do.

Except, after having the key drain COMPLETELY of water and walking rapidly up it on the sand and commencing my short rock scramble, my leggie gets caught in some rocks near the bottom. Oh poo. I get down as fast as I can free the leggie and then look up to see the wave breaking just out of the keyhole and whitewater surging up it. In an attempt to save myself and my board I try to jump up and over and onto the foam. It grabs me like a child in a rotties mouth and crushes me into the rocks. My back gets brutalised and then I flop down onto the sand as it recedes. I am dazed and the next one is coming. there is no board preservation this time and I wedge the board against the rocks as hard as I can and then use it to brace myself. It works, taking the edge of the waves power and this time I just get tumbled onto the rocks a little.

Set over, I drag my broken carcass onto the ledge and then lie there for five minutes or so seeing if any ribs are broken. Panadiene Forte - which I carry up north just in case the Tombstone lands on me - are the only thing that help me sleep through the back pain the next two nights.

A friend who watched the whole thing from only metres away paddled safely up to the next little bay and came in no worries.

Many years later, the bluff still makes me nervous at the end of the session.

Reminded me of my first go at the bluff not that long ago, it was pretty big , I use long leggies 10'-12' in bigger stuff. I was a bit nervy being a first time, jumped off timed it right cept my legrope snagged and as the water sucked away I was left hanging, as I am reaching up to try undo my leggie the next wave hits me and bang next thing I'm standing in the exact same place I jumped off. Naturally I pulled my board in acted like nothing happened and jumped straight in again.