Be careful out there - SUP - fin chop

Hello people,

On Sunday I had a bad accident on my SUP and in some ways I'm lucky to still have my leg or even be alive.
I'm glad I had my impact vest on as it let me float immediately after the incident.

I got a fin chop on a small reef break - steps in the back of my leg. I used my board to get in, then crawled over the reef and a fellow surfer walking his dog helped lift my leg with me in. Somehow it missed my artery -I didn't have a wetsuit on as it was such a beautiful morning.
SUP Melbourne (fb group) have refused to acknowledge the incident took place and won't let me share my story. I'm not sure on the logic here. I just want to warn people to be careful, maybe prevent an incident etc. No body wants to be helicoptered off the reef no matter how cool it might look.

My only advice would be to consider always wearing a wetsuit when out there in the surf, because it's likely to reduce the severity of an incident from a fin.

I am regularly on the water and was due to enter my first comp in a few weeks time. A little disappointed but for me a serious accident was probably overdue.

I'm not sure how I can ever fully thank those at steps (jan juc), the paramedics, SES and the helicopter crew for getting me to hospital plus all the staff here. I am alive. I have a long road ahead but I will get there.
If anyone else has had a similar incident any advice for the road to recovery would be much appreciated.

Ouch, sorry to hear about your accident. It's not exclusive to sup many a surfer has had similar injuries albeit not to often like yourself. Once you are recovered I hope you manage to get back in the water to get the monkey off your back if you have that lingering doubt that is about hurting yourself.
Not sure why it would be kept quiet, **** happens, no ones fault that why we call it an accident, or is there a legal angle here?
Hope you get better mate really soon, nothing worse than being hurt.

I fallen on my fins a few times, prone & SUP, luckily with rubber inbetween. Hard enough to cut the neoprene and drive the fin into the board and cause bruising. Only happens when pushing my limits, so I wear a wettie and helmet when I'm likely to be getting a bit rad.

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I wear a wettie and helmet when I'm likely to be getting a bit rad.

Yeah, I was just feeling guilty about it being summer, the water temp coming up etc. I've always got my helmets on and impact vest - and I've been winded before so it's definitely helped. It also helps to 'pop you up' in big surf.

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cantSUPenough said..


So what happened? How did the fin cut into your leg? Was it when you fell off, or going back out through the white water, or something else?

I don't quite understand the "keep it quiet" message. If you were participating in an event

No event, I was out on my own. It's interesting I was advised by one of their admins in person about safety, I WAS a financial member and I went to social paddles. Maybe it's all about numbers?

Like all accidents- they all happen so quick. I was late on take off on a small wave -1-2 foot or something. You know when you get that oh 'shut' moment. As I went under something slammed against my leg - behind my knee and pushed away. Shark? Unlikely. Reef - possibly. But I think it was the board and a fellow surfer whom worked at the hospital who came for a look pre-surgery thought the same.
of course we may never know

I windsurf or SUP surf every possible day and every day in the summer. Except for missing all of August. 2021.
I had a late take off on "one more wave" of a waist to shoulder 3 hour SUP surf session. Closed out abruptly going down the line and got rolled with my favorite board and excellent G-10 thruster fins. I had sanded the fins but not enough. A fin sliced my heel very deep. I did not go to the ER for stitches due to COVID overload and my DIY nature. I glued it and taped it. It was deep and took a month to heal. Kept me out of the water due to persistent bleeding. The most painful part was being out of the water for a full month. It could have been so much worse. Sand your fins....

Or the protec rubber foiled trailing edge fins( flame suit on re performance)

compared to a prone shortboard or even most longboards; sanding the fins on a SUP is not going to make a huge reduction to the risk of a fin bite. A SUP is just so much heavier.

If you land on the board it is not going to move much to absorb your force, and if it lands on you it has a lot of momentum that is not easily deflected.

sanding your fins might help a bit, but don't become complacent just because you have dulled the trailing edge a bit. I reckon thinking ahead & planning your fall on every wave is more effective & important.