Small ding, significant consequences

That was a sunny morning at Manly. With my mate, we jumped into the water and tried to make the most out of the minor conditions. I caught a few waves on my shortboard, but most of them were very quick with one clumsy turn. My friend’s board was a Malibu, which was more suitable for the conditions we found that day. I asked him to swap for a few minutes before we paddle in. I took his board, and a set was coming in our direction very quickly. Without thinking, I took the wave and, surprisingly, started an enjoyable ride. It was relatively slow, with several slow turns. Pleasant and relaxing. At the end of the wave, I jumped out without really thinking about where I would land, and unfortunately, I fell on the board. “Not a big deal”, — I thought, but I also realised I had lost one of the fins, and there was a tiny ding around the fin box. “That can’t be that bad” — was the next thing that came to my mind, and I paddled back to the lineup to chat with my friend. Because there was a small crack on the board, we went straight out to avoid water from getting into the board. It didn’t look bad at all. True, I lost the fin, but I could easily replace it. Since it wasn’t my board, I decided not to fix the ding myself, but to have it repaired by my professional board repairer. It was small enough, so I thought a little resin and a few minutes of sanding would do the job. Surprise, surprise, there was much more to fix under the surface. Since the fin box was damaged and unstable, we had to replace it. Additionally, it was an epoxy board, which is more challenging to repair. I paid over $100 and waited over a week for the repair. Something that seemed minor had consequences way beyond my first estimations.

I paid the price for the repair and the lesson, which I believe is small if it taught me something. I often underestimate the risk of going with the flow. On the one hand, constant hesitation and fear of failure are hindering our progress, but on the other hand, we can cause significant damage in a short period. Finding the balance, as usual, is not apparent and delicate. My current thinking about the topic is that I will push it to the limits as long as something belongs to me. I fully accept the risk on my side, and at the same time, I am careful not to cause harm to those around me who may not share my point of view. If a mate gives me something, I either don’t accept it or am cautious unless it is insured or someone has told me they don’t mind if it breaks.