Cuts

[splashy]

A number of years ago after i was knocked out of the Duranbah comp I paddled to the outside bank to get a quick surf in before the final...anyway, as I'm just about there a bigger set (about 6') just came and broke right on my head - I was dead in the centre impact zone. I got thrashed around and lost the grip on board with proptly came back to just smash me. Anyway, by the time I'd gotten to the surface I'd found one of my fins had snapped off in my hip. When in to make a big hole and just peaked out anotehr little hole. My wetsuit was shredded around my hip/waste/groin area where I must have been spinning round and round when I hit my board until the fin hit my hip hard enough for it to go in a snap off. Needless to say the paddle in was a long one - constantly think about sharks. I get to the shore, stand up, pull the fin out, roll down my wettie and the wound just opens up blood wells up everywhere. I surf lifesaver wanders up and asks "are you alright?". At the time and in the cirumstances (shredded wetsuit, blood everywhere, snapped fin in hand) I though it was a STUPID question. So I answer "Yeah mate, she'll be right". And he just wanders off. The quick end to this story is that I ended up at the hospital, 23 stitches later I was back on the beach in time to watch the final and saw Parksey come flying out of a barrell to pull a full 360 carve turn and win the final.