Around The World In 80 Waves

I haven’t so much as dipped my toes in the sea for more than two weeks and it is killing me. The massive waves of Santa Catalina seem a long time ago now.

However thinking about them reminded me of something I meant to pass on at the time. More than once at Santa Catalina I was the only person to get past a set of waves and looked back to see everybody’s boards tombstoning behind me.

Tombstoning occurs when a surfer has been pushed down so deep below the surface by the impact of the wave landing on them, that their leash becomes fully outstretched. The surfer’s weight pulling down on the leash yanks the board upright, leaving the front sticking straight up, rocking to and fro as the surfer moves about with the currents of the water underneath.

It is more likely to occur in larger waves following a cleanup set or a particularly bad wipeout, but when you see the whole line up behind you doing it, the resemblance to all the tombstones in a graveyard is clear, hence the name.

Most surfers who have been out in big surf will know about this and perverse sensation of schadenfreude you get when looking back towards the shore at it. The surfers usually resurface unaided, but some aren’t so lucky, unconscious and dangling in desperate need of a tug up. At least their boards tell you where your mates are if not how to get them out if they are in difficulty.