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Congratulations to State Lifeguard Neil Matthies (Monterey District) for winning the "Wipeout of the Year" award from Surfer Magazine for his hideous two - wave hold down at Maverick's last winter. Although somewhat of a dubious honor, it's an honor indeed considering the size of wave one must attempt in order to win such an award. I had the chance to catch up with Neil the other day and find out more about his fateful wave and his experience that enabled him to earn such a radical award.
On Friday January 30th, 1998, Neil paddled out to "Bigger than Big" Maverick's and dodged huge, jacking sets as he waited patiently for a wave that seemed ridable. About an hour later, he took off on what certainly was one of the biggest wave attempts of the year. He got into it early and everything looked good until his front foot slipped off his board (unfortunately he had decided earlier not to wear his booties). He then took the brunt of the massive lip right on the head.
As Neil recalled, "I couldn't believe it, it was horrible, like slow motion. When I initially went under I didn't realize what was happening, I think I may have been unconscious from the impact. I just felt myself going down and up and then down again (over the falls) over and over. It was almost an euphoric feeling. I was under so long (over 1 minute) I began to wonder if it would ever let me up. It was so dark under water that I don't know if I was conscious the whole time or not. I didn't panic and I wasn't afraid, I was just bummed. I remember thinking to myself, "Why me?" My heart was racing but I knew I had to stay calm and conserve oxygen. I was thinking that maybe I should take my cord off and swim for the surface, but my board was way above me (tombstoning) and I couldn't reach my ankle strap. I couldn't tell which way was up anyway, so I just relaxed and I think that's what saved my life. When I finally came up I was coughing and wheezing and the inside rocks were right there. Another wave was coming, but I was so low on oxygen that I decided to stay on the surface and let the wave wash me through or over the rocks. Luckily, I made it past the rocks safely. Then the jet ski showed up, but I paddled in on my own power. I knew I had hurt myself. I thought I had broken my back. As it turns out I compressed a vertebrae, but it's not too bad. I was only out of the water for a month or so, and now I'm back doing everything. I still surf Maverick's regularly, But I'm definitely a lot choosier now on the days I go out."
Without a doubt Neil deserves the award for his wipeout, especially since a lesser man may not have survived. As fellow lifeguards and surfers we can all learn from Neil's experience. He survived because he didn't panic and he was mentally and physically prepared for this type of big wave encounter. Neil is not only a regular in the Maverick's line-up, but he also swims regularly (3500 meters several times a week), including breath holding exercises. He can swim 125 yards underwater and can hold his breath for over two minutes. Neil has also paid his dues in meaty Ocean Beach (San Francisco) conditions where it sometimes takes an hour just to paddle out and long swims through massive rip currents are commonplace. Neil figures that all his time in the ocean (he's been surfing for 19 years), his training and his Lifeguard experience really paid off by giving him the confidence to keep his cool during the heaviest wipeout of his life. "If you're comfortable in the ocean and you know what it's going to do then there's no reason to panic," Neil reminds us, "But it's not all fun and games - the ocean can really hurt you."
