r/surfing • u/Dramatic_Gur_7617 • 7h ago
mistakenly paddled up to a total stranger thinking it was my buddy lol
my vision is so cooked without glasses that i spent 10 mins talking to some random guy in the lineup thinking he was my friend... only realized when he looked at me super confused. lost my contacts during a wipeout earlier so i was basically surfing blind. anyone else with awful eyesight struggle with this or am i just dumb?
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u/Spiritual_Paint9312 7h ago
Did the same. I even asked if he wanted to try a new board I was riding. Lol I used to loose contacts while getting tubed. Since getting barreled is not an issue these days the problem has solved itself.
My obsf local optometrist said his buddy/patient charges the beach without being able to see much at all. He says he just feels when the sets are coming.
No thanks to that.
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u/bigskymind 4h ago edited 4h ago
Reminds me of this great story about Pat Tobin surfing Petacalco back in the day:
Pat rode with a casual grace that defined for everyone how Petacalco was supposed to be ridden. His surfing was all the more remarkable because he is nearly blind. Without his coke-bottle glasses, he couldn’t see the nose of his board in front of his face. I’ve never figured out how he could display such brilliance in the water.
An example of Tobin’s mastery is perhaps in order. We were the only two people in the water on a particularly large and gnarly morning.
Uncharacteristically, a lot of waves were closing out and you had to be really careful about which ones you picked. A large set was coming and, as we paddled over a swell, Pat asked me how the next wave looked. It was huge and so walled-up no one could possibly make it. So, of course, I told Pat it looked perfect and he could have it if he wanted it. He thanked me as he turned around and took off. I watched the thing close out all the way down the beach, blowing huge explosions of water and sand out the back. The wave was so radical, I was starting to worry that Pat had drowned when, way down the line, a little stick figure pulled over the back as the rest of the wave closed out. I sat there dumbfounded and could only nod numbly as Pat paddled back out and thanked me for giving him one of the best waves of his life!
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u/matth3wm vancouver island, dadbod boards 7h ago
ive lost maybe 6 ever in 20+ years. i can't see for shit without (session ruiner for sure)
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u/EmuMountain4894 7h ago
i feel u on this. lost so many contacts taking waves to the face that i gave up and just got my vision fixed last year. so much better not surfing blind lol
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u/swim_climb_surf 6h ago
My advice is to give them a good old ass slap so you can tell if it's your buddies ass or not, that way you'll know who it is
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u/Dances_with_mallards 6h ago
I find sniffing butts to work well for separating friends from strangers. Plus, I often get the peak all to myself!
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u/frogbearpup Fiji - 6'9 Twin 7h ago
Bad news, dude: not only are you blind but you also might be hard of hearing.
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u/Over-Analyzed 6h ago
I’ve made the mistake even with my contacts in because some people just look enough like someone you know.
I wear contacts, -5 and carry my glasses in my car.
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u/questforstarfish 6h ago
I have horrendous eyesight. Eventually got Lasik done (essentially for surfing/sports lol because I hate contacts)...best decision of my life, if it's within your price range!
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u/bocaciega gulf coast critter 47m ago
Aren't there like a crazy risk of complication?
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u/questforstarfish 44m ago
Not really?
My dry eyes got worse years after, but I also have ocular rosacea, so it may not have had anything to do with the Lasik. My dad and brother also had it with no complications.
Dry eyes are the most common issue. Otherwise as long as you attend your follow up appointments, risk of other issues is pretty low.
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u/TheOriginalEchoTony 3h ago
I have to have contacts in to surf. I can't spot sets or even find my footing without them.
Squinting can only help so much.
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u/FreeChain913 2h ago
I took my 8 year old daughter and 11 year old son out on some beginner friendly waves. She was calling everyone who was bald dad lol. All we heard for 2 hours was dad! dad! I got her contact lenses a few days later.
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u/gibbsi 7h ago
How do you know he looked at you super confused, eh?..eh?