The day before Thanksgiving an old friend from high school and I decided to wax up the boards one more time before the frigid waters of New Hampshire prohibit even the thickest wetsuit into the water. It was a rather warm day around fifty degrees with rain and howling winds coming from the west. If you're a surfer you know high winds from with west and heavy rains make for massive waves. I'm your average surfer, capable of shredding hard on five foot waves, but waves the size of houses? Not for me.
Its hard to set the scene, but we all have been playing in the waves at the beach as a kid and no matter how big that wave is, it has the ability to knock us head over heals tumbling back down towards the shore. It's amazing how powerful mother nature is, but it's more amazing what our body can do. Paddling out there I start to get the sense from the cold brown water coming over my thick wet suit, that today will be the most scariest day of surfing ever.
It's so foggy that I can't yet see the waves, but I can certainly hear them. It seems like hours before I finally get past the breaking sets coming in. Looking around I can only make out a few other die hard surfers through the rain and the choppy surf. And then it hits me. I don't belong out here. This isn't fun. This is down right scary.
My body goes into survival mode. I don't know what triggers survival mode, maybe the shortness of my breath or the dryness of my mouth but my body is trying to tell me to get the hell out of the water. I look for the next wave, coming in like a steamroller I start paddling in the catch it. This is tricky because surfers have to turn once they catch the wave to avoid getting slammed to the ocean floor by the crest of the wave. But doing this you're never going to get in unless you try to out run it and ride it straight towards shore. As I look behind me the wave starts to build even more, casting a shadow over my whole body. Gritting my teeth I hold on to my board and go for the scariest ride of my life.
I dont recall much of what happened next, because I hit my nose so hard against my board or knee that I don't remember much of being under water. I rise to the surface, gasping for breath and looking for my board, the only thing that can save my life right now. I see another huge set coming in and half consciously grabbed my board and finally got the the rocks.
You don't appreciate land as much as I do. Reflecting on that day, I could have died. In the cold ocean, by myself with no final words. I just have to thank my body for going into survival mode and getting me home for thanksgiving dinner. From one surfer to you, don't underestimate the power of mother nature.
Justin Clutter
Actually, what you experienced WERE the symptoms of the "survival mode" the human body is equipped with. It is also known as GAS (General Adaptation Syndrome). It is brought on by your body perceiving that there is danger around, or some sort of threat. In response, your body pumps itself full of adrenaline, which deadens your receptors to pain, increases strength and reflexes, and speeds up your heart so your muscles get a larger supply of oxygen-rich blood. It also slows down your metabolism, and dilates your pupils. Also common symptoms of fear. And when you think about it, fear is a survival instinct. When you feel fear, you feel threatened. But anyway, I hope this was educational.
ReplyDeleteOh, also, to give you an idea of how powerful and effective adrenaline is; there have been documented reports that say mothers who have been in car crashes, and whose children are still in the car, have shown inhuman feats of strength, going so far as to lift the vehicle so they can get to their child(ren). Later on, blood tests showed residual high levels of adrenaline in their body. They have tried recreating the situations, but the hearts of the people they give the adrenaline to start to have problems, before they can move the vehicles. There are some incredible forces in our world.
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