Three weeks ago, I was on vaca.  The wife and I took our kids and two of their friends for a day trip to a New England beach to beat the heat.  We had a third friend with three kids who were staying there in a beach-front house for the week.  It’s mid day.  90+ degrees.  I’m just over waist deep in water.  Body surfing with about 5 young-ish kids around me (6-12 years old).  We’re all working on timing the waves, positioning, and perfecting the art of catching the wave at the right time.  We are having a blast.  I’m about to step off to catch a wave and my left leg suddenly and violently explodes.  Searing deep pain and the leg is taken out from under me.  I thought I heard a pop (which in hindsight, I probably didn’t).  I’m violently upended.  Flopping around, trying to find the surface.  Eyes stinging.  Bubbles.  I scramble for daylight.  Arms flailing, I manage to stand on my right leg.  Coughing up and pouring salt water out of every orifice in my head.  All I can think is “holy crap, I’ve got a bunch of kids around me and I just got hit by a shark.”  I yell to the kids to get out of the water.  They are looking at me confused but with a clear understanding something is very wrong.  I was deeper than they were.  They were scanning the open water watching for waves.  They all saw what happened.  They  comply and start making their way to shore.  Other people around us are starting to do the same.  I’m grimacing and scanning the surface looking for breaks in the water or a tell-tale fin.  Struggling to stay between the kids and the rest of the friggin’ Atlantic.  Not that I have any idea what I’ll do if I actually see something?  But there is nothing.  Wish I had my Enzo instead of my G-Shock.  At least with the Enzo, you could haul off and hit something.  I reach down to see if the leg is still there.  That was the scariest part.  The moment of truth.  I’m amazed to find that it is.  But it’s useless.  A stump.  I’m shocked that there is no blood in the water.  A quick visual inspection showed a normal (if not useless) leg/calf.  I can’t move anything below the knee.  As I’m hopping backwards, the immediate panic begins to dissipate.  My head starts to clear and it all comes together.  I stop acting like a frightened school-girl.  I apologize to the kids and the others around me.  Everyone stops freaking out and slowly resumes having fun.  My day is over.  In fact, I’m horizontal for another 2 days, unable to put weight on the left leg.

Last edited on Wed Jul 30th, 2008 07:01 am by steve6387