Helmets are an important part of surf safety. Just ask Laura Comeau.
A certified adaptive surf instructor with the International Surfing Association, and the founder and director of The Good Wave Project surf school in Clare, Comeau speaks from experience on the topic. The school is a licensed provider with Girls on Boards — a registered non-profit organization offering recreation experiences in surfing as well as stand-up paddle boarding, skateboarding and snowboarding — with Sport Nova Scotia funding going to the purchase of about a dozen helmets for participants.
“A couple years ago, in my adaptive surf training, the subject of helmets came up and it made a lot of sense, I started talking to people about it, and I decided to order one,” said Comeau. “And in the time while I was waiting for it, I actually got hit in the head with my surfboard.”
“It was the most beautiful, calm day, tiny waves, but I wasn’t feeling good and I wasn’t listening to my body and I just went out anyway. So for that reason, I feel like I wasn’t on my game and paying attention, and I wound up with a concussion.
“The next time I went out, I was still waiting for my helmet, so I used a hockey helmet, which my doctor friend suggested, and I haven’t been out without a helmet since.”
Surfing helmets are lightweight, with adjustable options for some, and come in a variety of sizes. Price ranges vary from less than $100 to more than $200.
“The ones we have were purchased on Amazon. We’ve had them for a year and they’re holding up really well,” said Comeau. “They’re super comfortable on the inside, foam on the inside and the hard coating on the outside. We have two or three in each size, for youth up to adult.
“Some people have been going to Canadian Tire and Walmart and just buying skateboarding helmets, which aren’t the same but it’s just easier for them in terms of price range and access.”
Comeau notes the stigma surrounding helmet use in the sport, with people citing being embarrassed or looking silly as reasons for not wearing them, but points out that helmets are being used at the elite level, including the recent competition in Tahiti as part of the Summer Olympics where surfers had to navigate the shallow depths of the Teahuop’o reef.
“We do a lot of youth camps with the same youth for several days and weeks and we do have a lot to cover, so those groups usually get my personal story of the concussion that I suffered,” said Comeau.
“Most people are happy to wear them and some people specifically say they want to wear them. Some do feel embarrassed to wear them or feel they look silly, but I always like to bring it back to the fact that most people, pro surfers included, have been hit by their own board or somebody else’s board. There’s lots of risks out there, and even though we don’t do things like surf over reefs, for example, this helps minimize that risk.”
