Life Sled

The waves were really solid this one-day, and we were towing in at a bombie which was about a 1mile out to sea. Some sets were solid 15 feet plus and just as wide. We were frothing to get out there as the sun rose, launching the ski with the life sled in tow. There were five of us on the trip so three were on the ski and two others on the sled. By the time we got in position for the first sets, we realized it was way heavier then we thought.

After catching some crazy rides each, it was time for one of my mates who was sitting in a boat to have a crack. He had never towed in before, or seen waves this big. Towing him in on his first wave, he got half way down the bottom, hit a bump and went flying. The wave was about 10 feet, but thick, and he got annilated. The problem was it was the first wave of the set and he had to cop the remaining waves on the head. The first one smoked him and held him down, only releasing him seconds before the third wave hit. I wasn’t in a position to pick him but I knew he was in trouble as he wasn’t the fittest person in the world. Lucky I got a break and zoomed in between the fourth wave. It was touch and go to grab him as the fourth wave was roaring its head. He finally surfaced and lucky for him it was right next to me. As the fourth wave pitched metres away, we only had one chance and seconds to get him out. By the look on his face he was in danger, and needed to get out of there asap. I pulled up next to him putting the sled almost on top of him. His board had broken, so this made things easier. He grabbed the rails of the sled just as the wave was about to hit. I thought we were gone. But as he grabbed on, I gassed the ski and we rode out of the white water in to the channel and the safety of still water.

I will never forget his face that day, and he swears still to this day that if another wave had of hit me he would have been a goner!

 

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