#tidalbore

So who's gonna be the first to foil surf this epic bore tide?

Philip “Mole” Rowney originally shared:

With the #blueMoon and a #lunarEclipse coming later today, there will be a range of phenomena flashing across the planet.

One will be the #pororoca in the Amazon another is the Severn #tidalBore

Severn Bore timetable :0D WED 31 06:36 [ tidal ] 19:04 [ BLUE MOON ]

My Experience Surfing the River Severn Tidal Bore.

The Severn bore is a natural phenomenon. A surfable version occurs maybe twice a month, if you’re lucky, and is nothing like you’ve ever seen before. When the tide is right and the water levels are perfect, the change in tide from low to high can be so dramatic that it causes a ‘wall’ of water to surge upstream on the river, and if you can find a decent point on the river, where the riverbed height is changing, it will cause this surge of water to kick up and produce a hugely powerful wave!

On the 9th April 2016, myself and two friends decided to take on the river Severn Bore. Having never surfed it before, we didn’t know the best places to take off from, so we just climbed into the water and hoped for the best.

After sitting in the water for about 20 minutes, we began thinking maybe we’d screwed up, as there was no sign of any wave. About 5 more minutes passed and suddenly a thundering sound could be heard followed shortly by the sight of the huge tidal bore. Heads engaged and arms in gear; we started our attempt to catch the only wave of that day.

And this is how it went for me...

So I was paddling for the wave, I did a quick turn around with my head just to see how the wave was forming, and I noticed somebody was already on the wave. But I assumed I wasn’t in their path and if I somehow was, I was certain they had plenty of time to avoid me. Unfortunately this was not the case. I turned back around to carry on my paddle, only moments later to find myself underwater being thrashed about, having absolutely no idea what had happened to me. After what felt like an eternity, I finally emerged to see the unlucky man whose wave I had ruined. He asked me straight away if I was alright, I said “I’m fine”, but then followed to touch the back of my head which ached a little, only to see when drawing my hand back, that it was completely covered in blood.

Still flowing down the river, in the surge of water that follows the wave, it then became apparent that I needed major attention to my head. So after a struggle to the riverbank, we ended up clambering through someone’s back garden. Fortunately for me, they were standing there watching the wave pass by their house. The also asked if I was okay, to which I said I’d cut my head and may need a few tissues. One blood soaked wet wipe later, they realized that maybe my head was a little worse than first assumed.

An ambulance was called, and I was taken to the hospital in my wetsuit and towely robe. The cut in my head was so deep, there was actually bits of wood stuck inside my cut that needed to be hosed out, not the most pleasant experience I’ve ever had, but still better than the 6 staples and ample amounts of glue that were used, after the jet wash, to hold my head together.