SAFETY FIRST : THE ULTIMATE CHECKLIST
With Europe’s autumn storms just around the corner, German wave sailor Flo Jung draws upon his years of experience to share with us his ‘Ultimate Checklist’ for a safe and successful windsurf session.
Words: Flo Jung // Photos: Sam Tomé
SETTING THE SCENE
It’s a cold morning in September. This particular day in question marked the start of the double elimination of the Cold Hawaii World Cup in Klitmøller, Denmark. The North Sea was a boiling cauldron of raging 50 knot winds and waves of up to 6 metres high; the horizon resembled a wall of whitewater. Challenging conditions for a competition, to say the least, but as long as there are wind and waves, the show must go on. Normally, I enjoy conditions like these, but that day felt different. I remember having a queasy feeling, a churning in my stomach, and I was unsure of myself. It looked anything but inviting out there, and I’d rather have crawled back into bed. I remember feeling cold and miserable while carrying my boards to the beach, trying to mentally prepare myself for the conditions. As my heat began I felt frozen and stiff, and it was extremely difficult to get into the flow in those adverse conditions – or even maintain control while trying to perform jumps and/or wave rides. Nevertheless, I wanted to win my heat – that’s why I was there after all. I remember setting up for a big backloop. The wave was big and steep, I felt myself being catapulted high into the sky. A gust hit me, lifting me even higher, probably 10 or 11 metres high. At the top, I initiated the rotation, glancing over my shoulder, but it was only when I saw the water below me that I realised just how high I had gone. I wasn’t sure whether to hold on or simply let go – with the risk of losing my equipment… rightly or wrongly… I decided to hold on. Milliseconds later, I landed. Touchdown. Boom. Something exploded. Not my board or sail, but my knee. Pain shot through my body. Shortly afterwards, I was lying in the water, unable to get back on my board with my injured leg greatly restricting my movement. To make matters worse, a wave then broke over me, forcing me to hold my breath, while somehow trying to desperately cling on to my equipment. I needed to get back to shore as quickly as possible, but how? I tried to wave for help, but no one saw me – it’s incredibly difficult to spot a windsurfer in six metre seas. The next wave collapsed on me again, so I had no choice but to pull myself onto my board and prop my leg up halfway. The pain was absolutely excruciating, but I somehow made it back to shore. Slightly later on at the hospital, the diagnosis was sobering: a torn cruciate ligament, a lateral collateral ligament, and parts of the meniscus were also torn. My knee was completely out of order – meaning at least eight months off the water. My world collapsed. As an athlete, moments like these are the moments you dread as they are the worst you can experience.
LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Could this accident have been avoided? And more importantly, what have I learned from this experience?
In aviation, checklists help identify human errors and potential risks before the aircraft takes off. This safety concept has made flying one of the safest means of transportation in the world, all while zooming through the clouds at nearly 1000km/h, reclining in a soft seat, watching a movie, and sipping on a Bloody Mary. Windsurfing also involves significant risks. It’s a game played with the forces of nature. How do we master this safely and sensibly without constant fear of injury? Must it always be “no risk, no fun” attitude, or can it also mean controlled risk with maximum fun?
As a professional athlete, I juggle risks daily and have learned the hard way that the key to progress lies in the approach we take. Everyone has their way of dealing with risk. One person may be more daring and dive into the surf, while another proceeds cautiously. Not only our personal characteristics play a role, but also how we adapt to nature daily. Constantly changing winds and waves can turn a relaxed flat water spot into a kamikaze zone with a nasty shore break overnight. My career as a professional athlete has been marked by more than one injury: two torn cruciate ligaments in the same knee, both ankles broken, ligaments torn, bruises, cuts from equipment and reefs, and countless wipeouts where I thought “that’s it.”.
How much risk are you willing to take to learn something new? As philosophical as that may sound, every injury has taught me valuable lessons and drastically improved my risk management. In my younger years, I just went out on the water and switched off my brain. That worked fine for a while, but after the first major injuries, I realised that these were often due to fundamental mistakes and therefore could have been avoided.
When I suffered further serious injuries, it made me rethink. There were only two options for me: either I give up the sport or I need a new safety strategy. From that point on I developed my own ‘Safety Checklist’ to enjoy every session to the fullest and, most importantly, to come back to shore safely, with a good feeling and, above all, healthy. I hope my ‘Ultimate Checklist’ helps you to see risk in a different way – and thus avoid injuries or life threatening situations.
THE ULTIMATE WINDSURF CHECKLIST
GEAR CHECK
Like a good pilot, I perform an equipment check before each session: it starts in my garage, where I have a packing list. At the beach, I make sure my sail is rigged perfectly, the footstraps are adjusted correctly, and the fins are securely in place. If the waves are bigger than 3-4 metres and breaking further out, or if I’m going out on the water in winter, I also bring a rescue tube (inflatable buoyancy aid) that can be attached to the harness. This little device probably saved my life a few years ago during a violent wipeout at Pe’ahi (Jaws), in Hawaii. Meanwhile, when I’m trying a new move, I occasionally wear an impact vest and helmet.
PHYSICAL PREPARATION
Before every session, I ask myself the crucial question: am I fit? Am I ready for an adventure in nature, or do I have any aches and pains? What’s my basic fitness level? (Be honest with yourself here). I try to incorporate a small sports session into my daily routine – not just to attack on the water, but to feel fit and healthy. I focus on having a well-trained core and leg muscles, while I occasionally add a yoga session to stay flexible, much like bamboo in the wind. Physical preparation greatly reduces the risk of injury – I feel strong and readily prepared to swim after my equipment for a few minutes if necessary. Before every session, I take another sip of water, eat a banana or energy bar, if needed, and warm up with a few exercises. It doesn’t take longer than 2-3 minutes, but you’d be amazed how many recreational windsurfers fail to do any kind of warm up at all, which greatly increases your risk of injury – windsurfing is an extreme sport, after all.
MENTAL PREPARATION
Once I’m physically warmed up, it’s time to focus on the here and now. Mental preparation helps me react quickly and decisively in challenging situations. The argument with my girlfriend, or other life-stresses, are left behind on the beach, and I get into the groove by setting a few appropriate goals for the conditions, or just focus on having a good time on the water without expectations. Especially in gusty winds, or average conditions, this mindset often serves me well. It reminds me of my beginnings when I was grateful for every gust of wind on my local lake. I often ask myself: what do the conditions allow? What new things can I learn today? This brief pause isn’t always easy when you can’t wait to get out there, but this short check-in moment before the session helps me tremendously to give it my all on the water and truly be in the here and now.
AVOIDING UNNECESSARY MISTAKES
To know how to minimise risk, you must first understand what can go wrong, which usually comes with experience. In other words, making mistakes. However, many of those mistakes aren’t necessarily ones you have to make yourself, and ultimately, they can be completely avoided. Classic mistakes include; falls onto equipment, hard landings after jumps or wipeouts where you get stuck in the footstraps, etc. Speed usually determines the severity of the crash: the faster you surf, the harder the water becomes. Those who fall from a height of 10 metres, or wipeout during a speed run in Lüderitz when travelling at almost 100km/h, can testify that water can be as hard as concrete.
LEARNING TO FALL
Crashes are part of almost every windsurfing session for me, so the question is: how can I learn to ‘fall properly’ as quickly as possible? Do I often make the same mistake? If things go wrong, my first priority is to trust my gut instincts. Sometimes it’s better to stay as far away from my equipment as possible, sometimes it means holding on, sometimes it means actively pushing the equipment away, such as in the case of a failed jump. When I crash on a wave or a gust pulls me over the board, I try to keep my body small and compact with my arms protecting my head and neck. In bigger waves, wipeouts mean that your equipment is being pulled away by the wave. In that case, it’s essential to remain calm. When I’m under water I try to relax and enjoy the process. I put a smile on my face and that usually helps to avoid entering into panic mode. I usually count slowly in my head from 1 to 10 until the force of the wave subsides. When wave riding, it’s also necessary to consider what happens if you lose your equipment… what’s the best strategy? In larger waves or strong winds, there is a genuine risk of ‘losing’ your equipment and thus having to swim for a long time. In this situation, I really try to use the waves and bodysurf like Michael Phelps through the surf, even if my batteries are empty afterwards. Every metre that brings me back to my equipment as quickly as possible is extremely valuable.
If I wipeout while wave riding, I usually let go of my gear straight away as the chances of being hit by the board, the fin or getting stuck in my footstraps is simply too high. Setting your footstrap size correctly is another crucial point for me. I adjust them so that the foot has contact with the inside of the footstrap on both sides. This way I can cling to the footstrap by pressing down on the instep and loading my heel and toes, or quickly release it by lifting my toes.
When I’m heading out through the surf, my strategy is to hold onto my equipment for as long as possible. I also make sure that my gear is not between myself and the wave – as that’s one place you definitely don’t want to be. Sometimes falling is like playing chess – you have to think one step ahead. How can I get back on the board as quickly as possible? How do I fall so that the rig is positioned ready to waterstart as quickly as possible after a crash?
STRATEGY: STEP-BY-STEP WITH FULL COMMITMENT
I usually try to very slowly increase things when it comes to learning a new move or I’m considering riding a substantial sized wave. What’s the next possible step? What works and what doesn’t? I take time to build a solid foundation before moving on to the next level. Practically speaking, this could mean cautiously riding the shoulder of a wave first to see how quickly it breaks, instead of attacking the lip directly. Or starting to jump safely and controlled before attempting a forward loop. My foundation consists of competence and confidence. I always try to gradually step out of my comfort zone, but once I do, it’s always, and I mean always, with full commitment. This is something that cannot be compromised. I usually practice new moves on land first, and only when I fully understand them do I try them on the water. The formula is: how can I get 1% better than yesterday? What did I learn from the last crash? What can I do differently next time? It’s like a staircase with many steps that I want to climb. If I skip too many steps at once, I increase the chances of stumbling. If I analyse my major injuries more closely, the cause was always a brief hesitation, such as: “Can I still make it? Should I hold on or let go?”. Hesitation is a lethal poison in these situations. The moment you start thinking, your reflexes slow down rather than acting intuitively. I’d rather do something with full commitment and follow through than make a pros and cons list about the landing in the air. To maintain my focus, I’m rarely on the water for more than two hours consecutively. I prefer to take short breaks. If I notice I’m getting tired, it’s time for a break. Sometimes I hear myself saying, as I’m sure many of you do, “Just one more try, just one more wave or whatever.”. However, that’s the moment I know that it’s time for me to call it quits without trying the manoeuvre or riding another wave. How often has the so-called “last wave” destroyed my equipment or ruined my session?
THE SAFETY NET
Choosing the right environment to play in is crucial for me. I rarely go out on the water alone when it gets rough or the spot is very demanding, for example, when it’s too crowded, such as a few days before a World Cup event in Pozo. Everyone wants to prepare as best as they possibly can, but in a small bay, the size of a soccer field, sometimes 30 riders sail back and forth. One person blasts at full speed towards a ramp, while another focuses entirely on riding a wave, and a third swims behind his equipment somewhere in between. Add to this the setting sun in the evening, when visibility is further restricted, and the risk of a serious collision becomes more and more likely. At the very least, the level of frustration also increases – instead of concentrating on a manoeuvre, I constantly try to avoid others in order to avoid being run over myself. In this particular instance, I’d rather leave the water early and live to fight another day.
WHAT IS THE PERFECT ENVIRONMENT?
The dream scenario: constant wind, clean waves, and the icing on the cake… maybe some sunshine and 26ºC water. Furthermore, it’s essential to me who I go out on the water with. I’d much rather sail with my surf buddies, who push each other and whom I can rely on in case of an emergency. When it gets cold in winter, I rarely go out alone. I try to stay closer to the shore, so that I can always swim back in case of emergency. It’s always important to think one step ahead and read the fine print in my insurance policy. Are there sandbanks, reefs, or other imminent dangers such as strong currents? What happens if I drift away? What do I do if the wind suddenly drops? What is the weather forecast predicting? Where do I exit the water if I end up downwind? What do I do if my mast breaks? At spots like One Eye in Mauritius, this is easier said than done as the outer reef is 1 km out to sea. The current is strong and rips you out into open sea. If the wind drops here, or you break your mast, you have a major problem. In spots like these, I’ll happily pay extra for a boat or jet ski that guarantees my safety. I don’t go out late in the evening, or if I do, I make sure I have my phone in a waterproof case with the appropriate emergency numbers for the local Coastguard. It’s always better to be over prepared than under prepared.
TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS
If I have a bad feeling before or during the session, or if the conditions are too extreme, I simply say no, even if it sometimes feels like a difficult choice at the time. I don’t care what other people think. Trusting my intuition and knowing when to stop has saved my life several times. It’s okay to occasionally overestimate yourself to learn something new and push yourself out of your comfort zone, but I listen closely to my gut feeling. If it doesn’t fit, I leave it. There’s always another time.
In life, as in windsurfing, learning is a process that should be fun. Approach it at your own pace, but remember – the faster you progress, the more you have to risk to achieve the same feeling. Not risking anything isn’t a viable option either as then you’ll lose that feeling of fun in the long run and you may as well stay at home on the couch. However, that’s not a viable option either, as then you risk missing out on many great moments in your life. So let yourself be inspired by pilots who fly through the sky at the speed of light, let yourself be carried away by the thrill, but prepare accordingly, and above all, learn from your mistakes so as to avoid them in the future. Set your own rules on your personal checklist and ask yourself: are you ready to take off?
Good luck and many happy landings.