l recently saw one dude surfing with a helmet.Later that day, me and another dude wiped out near each other, and his board flew right into my rib cage, knocking the wind out of me.It later occurred to me that if the board got me in the head, l could have been knocked out, and who knows what else.

So what is your take on a ''surfing helmet'' ?

I've never seen anyone wearing a helmet while surfing. l have never worn one, but do wear one while snowboarding & skating pools & downhill. l guess it would be a good idea, especially for beginners or where the reef or rocks r really close to the surface. You would need a water helmet. A normal skate or snow helmet would not work. Pro-Tec makes water helmets, but not sure of any other company. If a local surf or skate shop can;t order one for you, check with a whitewater kayaking outfitter, as these helmets r used in this sport.

Unless you're Laird Hamilton, it is pretty gay.

if it was something common, sure, but if not, no

you dont need a helmet if you practice common sense in the lineup. its just like driving, you gotta be aware of the other guys also

l agree wit evry one else

There was a town in northern New Jersey that required surfers wear helmets by City ordinance, & they would give non-helmet wearing surfers summons when they came out of the water.

It probably makes sense. However, at my age, l feel enough like a kook most days, that l think l would rather risk a fractured skull than wear a helmet surfing. And, if u hit ur head, it is most likely the C spine injury that is going to kill or paralyze u anyhow.

About four years ago, l got about a four inch split right down the middle of my head. l got my wife to hook it back together with a half dozen butterfly dressings & l was back in the water, so l guess no helmets for John F.

if you have previous head injuries its a good idea to use one

i'd only wear one if l was forced to surf teahupoo on a huge day. then again l doubt a helmet would prevent u from getting killed at that spot if u got piledriven right into the reef

all joking aside, l see it sometimes at surf spots here in hawaii. l guess it is added safety if you're surfing a shallow break. There is some spots on the island where bringing a helmet could be the safe thing to do, some pros do it when surfing heavy spots like pipe & otw

i've also had an older relative who passed away from getting knocked out underwater from hitting his head on the reef, so it does happen & could potentially save a life

The only time l have seen people wear them was when there was a risk of injury from either a rock or reef bottom or rocks in the line up. I've seen people wear them on big days at Venice breakwater and you will see it at Fort Point in San Francisco and sometimes at Pipe. But is it common? No.

Maybe the person you saw had already had a previous head injury and so was a little more cautious then most people.

You can get knocked out by ur board for sure, or hit ur head on a rock or reaf. If u r worried about it go ahead & try one, it will also keep ur head warm in cold water. These days there r many people surfing that r not really in control of their boards, so u may get a board to the head that is not yours. l can not tell u how many times I've had to duck dive a loose longboard coming my way.

In short its ur choice not allot of people where helmets, but 5 years ago nobody wore helmets snowboarding either.

l think you should only were a helmet on a big day or a place with a close reef. other than that l think you should be fine