Still a lot of questions on my end about the guy's level of experience and if he went out knowing the risks...
Here is an excerpt from the local paper:
“The guys that went into the water knew him,” recalled Zitnick, who was driven back by the “gnarly” waves when he tried to surf Otter Rock on Dec. 1, the day Stearns died. “They told him not to go out. He was a beginner, but they said it was some kind of ‘courage’ test, where he was facing his fears and building his confidence.”So infer from that what you will. It also says that since there were no witnesses as to what happened, they may never know the reason he got into trouble or how he got separated from his board. Sad in any case.
I've been separated from my board twice. Once my leash plug broke. That day was pretty awesome. Walked out into the water and the first wave that hit me popped out the plug. I'm pretty sure half of it is still floating out in the great Pacific garbage patch somewhere. Never even had a chance to catch a ride that day. Walked out then immediately walked back in. Awesome. The second time the cord itself snapped. After that I bought a Dakine number. Couldn't tell you the specs, but it has held up pretty nicely through all my trips over the falls so no complaints.
I've done a lot of stupid things out of ignorance while trying to learn. That's what scares me about this. Seems like on any given day the ocean could decide to pick me out. Doesn't stop me from going, but it's also why I haven't been out in like three weeks due to rough conditions. Looking at the forecast it looks like it's going to be at least another one. Anyone want to fly me somewhere calmer?