sometimes you don’t need to impact anything to break your paddle—go 2:10-2:20 on the video
I once witnessed a guy break a carbon foam core paddle performing an extended paddle roll in a pond.
@Peter-CA said:
Note- Bill rolled up with a broken half of his regular paddle, not with a spare off of his deck. In many ways, this is more challenging, as while you are underwater you need to feel around and figure out what is going on and how to make it work. Looks like it is opposite blade from what he would have used for that roll with a full paddle, so he had to swing the blade around from one side of his boat to the other to make it work. Rolling with a spare off deck would have been something he has practiced before, so he’d know exactly where the half paddle is and how it is laid out, so it would have been grab and go.Not the first time this has been done, nor caught on film. Here is Sergey from a few years ago when he broke his wooden GP on a large pourover, and had to figure out how to make it work to roll up.
https://youtu.be/uDn1kVSNwYk?t=3m51s
Note - if you back the video up to start at time 3:29, you will see Sergey’s wife going over a bigger, super impressive wave and need to roll up, but she doesn’t have paddle issues, so that run isn’t relevant to this conversation.Edit - looks like Youtube doesn’t bring over the second part of time stamps, only minutes. The Sergey roll is at 3:51.
Looks to me like another weak red cedar paddle busted in half in conditions. I used one too, until that happened to me in surf. I’ve stuck with spruce and never broken another. I even used to surf with a Sitka spruce paddle with a split in the tip, even that never split further or broke. But I’ve had the same luck with Picea glauca, which is what I usually use, and they are often nearly as light or even lighter than some cedar paddles I’ve seen.
The only paddle I have broken so far was a carbon shaft two piece at the ferrule. I was maytaged in the surf and it broke underwater when I tried to roll up.
@raisins said:
Here is a good example of having the skills required for the conditions you’re in:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOQilGcW1Fw
- he doesn’t panic and bail out
- he takes his time (a little bit) to assess what happened, use the 1/2 of paddle he does have to roll
I suspect he has practiced rolling with 1/2 a paddle before. (I find that a ‘hand’ roll can be easier than using 1/2 a paddle, however, the 1/2 paddle is very useful - as can be seen in the video, after he is back up)
note: luckily he had gloves on - sometimes a broken paddle will have dangerous shards to avoid
A handroll is good for really ingraining good body mechanics for rolling. It is NOT good in a really challenging situation as in that video.
Personally, I had my paddle stripped while surfing alone. I hand rolled back up and got flipped on the next big wave. So, I ended up having to make the dreaded swim back in anyway, given the lack of a paddle. Personally, I’ll take the half paddle roll any day over a hand roll. 
Just saying.
sing
PS. Those who preached absolutely against paddle leash in surf has never surfed alone and had a paddle stripped… There are few if any absolutes that hold true
“PS. Those who preached absolutely against paddle leash in surf has never surfed alone and had a paddle stripped…”
Amen Brother Sing !
I had my first nasty swim of the winter this week. Forecast was for waist to shoulder high clean long period surf. I was sick with flu/sinus infection but decided to go out since I have been traveling a lot and didn’t get any exercise. Surfing on SUP uneventful fun waves and I am about 150 yards off shore and I look up and I see a foam pile the size of a freight car plowing towards me. Not so scary when you are not strapped on, I dive off to the side when it hits and feel my board really getting tugged and snap … leash is gone and so is my board and I can hardly breath because of the flu. Then I realize I’m actually getting held down, my leash tangled up in kelp now. Takes me a good long while to swim in with my paddle because I am now in a rip and my board washed in, coughing and wheezing, was not sure I was going to make it. Ocean will always make you humble.
I’m not a ‘preacher’, do as you think best after weighing the evidence.
I don’t and won’t use a leash.
I’ve lost several paddles in the surf (broken, stripped). (this would seem to argue FOR the leash, but I’m not comfortable with one).
My 1st time, I remember rolling back up with use of pfd (prior to hand roll ability).
Again, to reiterate - if rolling back up with the broken half of a paddle - be very careful not to get cut by the broken piece.
(though, if safe - I like to gather the pieces - if possible, so not to let some other ‘creature’ in the sea (human or otherwise) getting cut by it.)
@raisins said:
I’m not a ‘preacher’, do as you think best after weighing the evidence.
I don’t and won’t use a leash.
I’ve lost several paddles in the surf (broken, stripped). (this would seem to argue FOR the leash, but I’m not comfortable with one).
My 1st time, I remember rolling back up with use of pfd (prior to hand roll ability).
Again, to reiterate - if rolling back up with the broken half of a paddle - be very careful not to get cut by the broken piece.
(though, if safe - I like to gather the pieces - if possible, so not to let some other ‘creature’ in the sea (human or otherwise) getting cut by it.)
Oops. Sorry for coming like a “preacher” myself. I agree with you that folks should think about their own skill sets and experiences. That it is almost always ying/yang (positive/negative) with different approaches.
With the paddle leash, I was just remembering when I got paddle stripped surfing Leslie swells on an offshore reef just several weeks ago. While upside down, being pushed along by the breaking wave, the paddle stretched against the leash, bounced back and hit my arm. I grabbed the leashed paddle, rolled back up and surfed that same wave for another hundred yards. Saved by the leash from what would have been a long swim in (it would be seriously bad if I were to lose the waveski too).
sing
PS. I can almost anticipate the critiques about not going out with a partner…
If your looking for a critique about not going with a partner…As the water gets bigger , everyone spreads out so they don’t trash each other…not much help close…the bigger the water , the more alone you are and the more your “ON YOUR OWN” anyway. Help picks up the pieces after the yard sale. Oh…but you do have help carrying your boat to the water and back…that’s good
Right off of the bat I have to admit having to bail out after breaking a paddle and not being able to roll back up. On the leash issue I have had bungee leashes slap me after having a paddle stripped, I made a leash out of 5/32 paracord, and attach it to my deck line with a tiny carabiner on my left (non skeg) side of the front deck line. I have 2 small loops on the other end that fit snugly on either side of the ferrule lock. So far it has never been an entanglement issue, it is pretty short 26" from paddle to carabiner.
@SeaDart said:
“PS. Those who preached absolutely against paddle leash in surf has never surfed alone and had a paddle stripped…”
Amen Brother Sing !I had my first nasty swim of the winter this week. Forecast was for waist to shoulder high clean long period surf. I was sick with flu/sinus infection but decided to go out since I have been traveling a lot and didn’t get any exercise. Surfing on SUP uneventful fun waves and I am about 150 yards off shore and I look up and I see a foam pile the size of a freight car plowing towards me. Not so scary when you are not strapped on, I dive off to the side when it hits and feel my board really getting tugged and snap … leash is gone and so is my board and I can hardly breath because of the flu. Then I realize I’m actually getting held down, my leash tangled up in kelp now. Takes me a good long while to swim in with my paddle because I am now in a rip and my board washed in, coughing and wheezing, was not sure I was going to make it. Ocean will always make you humble.
That should have cleared your sinuses.
Paddle leash in surf/rock gardening I would say is a VERY BAD idea. Keep a spare paddle on deck if you lose main. Your not going to lose two paddles before you retrieve the first one. If broken not likely to break another
@dc9mm said:
Paddle leash in surf/rock gardening I would say is a VERY BAD idea. Keep a spare paddle on deck if you lose main. Your not going to lose two paddles before you retrieve the first one. If broken not likely to break another
Agree. Contextual vs absolute rule.
So, when I used to “seakayak” more than I do now, I always practiced retrieving a half spare paddle off the front deck to roll with. Although I also practiced handrolls, in my mine, having a half paddle (or a Greenland storm paddle) is a much more useful and practical in the situation depicted in the film.
Having a handroll is great support for good rolling technique (in addition to having a “bragging” point), it is not a really great go to for a scenario outside of flatwater rolling practice.
sing