"I Surfed the Tsunami"

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Amsel

Amsel

Tech Sergeant
1,538
17
Jul 15, 2008
Texas
A British survivor survived the tsunami which devastated the South Pacific by paddling towards the towering wave, he has claimed.
Tom Gogola, from Devon, was in Samoa for a three-week holiday when the island was hit by a 20-foot wall of water.
The 22-year-old was in the water surfing when he saw the wave racing towards the shore.
He did the only thing he could - and paddled as hard as possible straight for the wave.

Aiming the tip of his surfboard up to ensure its nose was not pushed under by the towering wall of water, he said he rode right up and over the top of the wave.........

.....New Zealand student Chris Nel was surfing on the south coast of Savai'i island in Western Samoa when the 8.3 magnitude quake struck on Wednesday morning.

He had been in the water with four other New Zealand surfers and an Australian when the tsunami appeared.
Mr Nel, a hospitality student, was forced to ride out the tsunami on his surfboard for more than half an hour, fearing he would be 'smashed into the jungle' by the surging water.
Click to expand...
:shock:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/wor...emarkable-escape-rode-killer-Samoan-wave.html
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isnt' the best way to get past a wave to duck under the wave, not try to power up over the top of it?
 
RabidAlien said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isnt' the best way to get past a wave to duck under the wave, not try to power up over the top of it?
Click to expand...
That's a tricky call there. You have to be able to judge the conditions before you make your move.

If you have a wave breaking, you don't want to be at the base because it'll hammer you on the floor, especially if your over a reef. The coral will make you look like you just passed through a food processor. There can also be a strong under-tow or rip current that can haul you along the floor and out a ways. This is not good if you've just been body-checked and had the wind knocked out of you.

You can also dive into a curling wave about mid height, but that's a crap-shoot as to where you'll end up. And that again, is depending on the wave's character, but typically, you'll come out backside in pretty good shape just outside of the turbulance.

If the swell is out a ways, you can dive into the base and you should be alright.

The above applies to typical tidal waves. A Tsunami is different. with a Tsunami, the wave doesn't just ride the surface of the water, it is a complete wave from the floor upwards. You dive into it, chances are you'll be caught up in the brutal turbulance and probably sucked down, depending on what the wave is passing over and if there's another swell following it, not to mention any debris dredged up from the bottom swirling around in the vortices.

Since the wave was out a ways and not curling, I think the guy made the right call and "faced" it.

Doing that most likely saved his life.
 
Gotcha. Never did any surfing, myself, just a little bit of boogie-boarding. I totally understand his intense desire to stay away from the tussle between surf and jungle, though...nothing more dangerous than flooded trees.
 
chip haehnel said:
dude ,get hip. I suggest Beach Boys "Good Vibrations".ch
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"dude?" "get hip?"

What the eff is that supposed to mean?

If you want to toss out surfing lingo, try "hey barney, bail off this patch, you're posing, dude..."

And while you're being a "leaner", check out the Surf Punks' song "Beercan Beach"...it really applies in this case...seriously.
 
GrauGeist said:
"dude?" "get hip?"

What the eff is that supposed to mean?

If you want to toss out surfing lingo, try "hey barney, bail off this patch, you're posing, dude..."

And while you're being a "leaner", check out the Surf Punks' song "Beercan Beach"...it really applies in this case...seriously.
Click to expand...

I think hes a E-thug
 
Yea, I went to the Outer Banks NC this summer, some pretty big waves down there! Jersey shore doesn't have big waves, just hurt because there's shells everywhere :lol:
 
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