I was lucky enough to go to Mexico for a little surfing last week. The wife and I were staying in Troncones just north of Ixtapa. There was good weather, and good waves. On the third day I went out for an afternoon session. It was smaller, and the take off point was in the shallows. Set came, and I grabbed my first wave. Heading down the line I notice that water is getting really shallow. I start pumping to make the section. It’s then that I realize it’s not going to happen. So I go to jump into wave to land in some deeper water. Things didn’t go according to plan, and I am grabbed by the lip and thrown into the rocks. I make like a starfish, and lay flat trying to avoid anymore collisions with the rocks. This doesn’t happen and left-side is dragged along the rocks. Suddenly I am stopped when my foot jambs into a rock. I get my head above water, and grab my board and paddle my way into the deeper water. Surveying the damage I have some minor scraps on my left side. But my foot is starting to sting. I had hit a sea urchin when my right foot jambed into the rock. Kelly and I head back to the hotel. Where with a needle, tweezers, and some tequila we remove a dozen of the larger spines. After getting the big ones out it’s decided that the rest will have to be removed in the States. Hobble around the rest of the trip and have a good time lounging by the pool.
When I got home I went to the ER. I got six shots of local anesthetic to numb the site. If anyone has had any shots given to them in their foot they would understand that this is the worst thing ever. This was the most painful part of my whole experience. After I was numb it was all good, and the doctor removed the rest of the spines.
Thought I would share my story. Maybe you will think twice about wearing those stupid little reef booties on your next trip south.
B jones can relate to this story. He also had an urchin attack his foot. However…..(and i don’t recommend this unless you can absolutely help it)…..we went to a mexican hospital in San Pancho. They allowed me in the room during the whole operation. Shots to the foot, no tequila, and my half wit attempt to speak Spanish to the doctor. B looked scared like i’ve never seen any of my friends, and i don’t blame him. The only thought in my head was, “thank god that’s not me on the table”. The only upside to going to a mexican hospital, the entire bill for anesthetic and all, was only 160 pesos, (sixteen bucks). His incident wasn’t on a reef break though, it was a perfect point break, but it was big and washed him up onto the beach. It seems like most reef breaks have to be at least head high to be safe/fun. Sayulita even gets scary when its small. I also heard you can melt some candle wax on those needles and they will lift out. You’re foot looked pretty f-ed though, i’m definitely bringing booties to Nicaragua. Luckily on our trip next week to Hawaii, we only need to worry about tiger sharks……o …wait, that could be worse. Luckily i still paddle faster than Drex, that’s all that really matters.
Yeah that was a crazy time. Walking around San Pancho looking for the hospital. I was freaking out that they wouldn’t use anestesia luckily they did. I asked clem if they had started and he looked at me and went if you can’t feel anything now you’ll be fine. Clem just watched as they dug into my foot. that was the Arron Chang Trip we met Holly Beck and some other hot chicks. Hillarious we didn’t know who any of them were. We were just kooks trying to catch waves, still are. great trip, good times. I heard Chicala has a hotel or retreat on the point now.
Yeah Travis I’m definately the kook with the booties in the line up when I travel after my experience. I surfed down there in 06 fun waves.
Sounds like you got off the hook pretty easy Mr. Mckenney. Glad to hear you made it back in one piece. After surfing up and down the Nica coast i never heard of any incident of sea urchin. Not to say you won’t find some. Definitely had some ‘attack’ in Costa. In Nica you’ll mostly find so many ruthless jelly fish that there is no one out (depends when), huge rotten whales on the beach that looks and smells like nothing you’ve experienced before, roads so bad that the car in front of you dips out of site, constant howling winds that blow semi’s off the Pan Am highway (depends when), 24/7 heat so gnarly, you wake up in the middle of the night in a pool of sweat and crawl outside to the cement patio where it seems like a a degree or two cooler and give yourself up to the ruthless mosquito’s and possible Dengue Fever (depends when), and cops so corrupt that a 2.5 hour drive turns into 8 cuz you’re getting pulled over every few miles.
…But then you’re surfing perfect warm waves, year around off shore wind, with just you and whoever you showed up with, no one around for miles and miles and miles and it is all worth it. Wish i could join you.
i can paddle faster than Kop-a-feel so i should be okay with the Tiger Sharks. But what we really need to be concerned with is Tipp(s). I think.
Paddle faster? Faster maybe, but you’re lacking in form. Wasn’t it you who got called out as a kook by Westport locals because of the way you were paddling?
No, me and the Westport locals were just having an in depth discussion about Northshore the movie.
We’re gonna die…
Dog the Bounty Hunter gonna be after all your wigger asses after this thing… Tiger shoarkz is the least of your troubles…
Drex…..you’re so Haole, you don’t even know you’re Haole…..Barney…. How did that discussion end anyways?
we talked about meeting up later.
and yes…im so howly i don’t even spell it right.
How many of you are going to Hawaii and when?
i was down there a month ago and i even got poked through my bootie, had to pull the stickers out of the rubber. booties are awesome, plus you get the tan lines.
Wish i could make it out there and celebrate C l e m ‘ s last few days of freedom. I’ll be snow camping, probably freezing my butt off cuz i’m so unprepared out in the Southern Sierras for “work” and prolly wishing I was getting hammered by some warm sunny waves.
It looks like the forecast for next week is about 5-6 feet at 12 seconds, which is probably about 2-3 feet hawaiian. Perfect for us howle’s. Yeah….i wish everybody that wanted to come, could have. We’ll have to do a drunken Seattle night as well. Of course my high roller friend rented the most baller house on the north shore, its gonna be kind of expensive….but how often do you get the chance to wake up looking at pipe, and a dozen other surf spots. Should be about 10-12 of us in all. I’m sure it will be well-documented for nwbroweather.com.