Surfriding What really happened in Holland Oct 15th, 2011. RIP Kevin Bruins!

[yamaslut]

Just a thought... all you guys w/ these helmets that come off in the water might want to upgrade to a better helmet... A helmet should never come off. I have never seen it happen in MX so something is not right w/ that style of helmet in the water. They absorb way too much water weight and then become a hazard. My helmet won't come off unless my head comes w/ it.. Like Scott said, it feels planted and secure...

[h=4]Product Description[/h]Cascade Full Cut Kayaking Helmet W / Mask - even the most experienced paddlers to be careful sometimes the brain upside down. It was then that the waterfall kayaking helmet cut with a face mask is very convenient. The face mask is the best choice for racing helmet and river boating expedition, in which protection may be needed. It is by far the safest helmet on the market. It combines a high-density polyethylene shell with a coating closed cell expanded polypropylene. This provides an impact absorption, and the ability to take multiple effects. The closed cell foam does not absorb water or hold odors. A guard coated nylon face son offers comfort and protection, while maintaining a large field of view. The system of setting four points with its unique capture occipital help you find the perfect fit and prevent the helmet from the roller on the face or expose the front. Stainless steel hardware eliminates rust and adds durability.You can rely on this helmet kayak ..

http://www.amazon.com/Cascade-Full-Kayak-Helmet-Face/dp/B0039L6LDM%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAIYDHBN3OO35UQJVQ%26tag%3Dkayaks02a-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB0039L6LDM

 

[Scraggly]

Just a thought... all you guys w/ these helmets that come off in the water might want to upgrade to a better helmet... A helmet should never come off. I have never seen it happen in MX so something is not right w/ that style of helmet in the water. They absorb way too much water weight and then become a hazard. My helmet won't come off unless my head comes w/ it.. Like Scott said, it feels planted and secure...



http://www.amazon.com/Cascade-Full-Kayak-Helmet-Face/dp/B0039L6LDM%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAIYDHBN3OO35UQJVQ%26tag%3Dkayaks02a-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB0039L6LDM

i know a lot of guys that leave the strap loose so they can slide it on and off easy, to me thats just retarded might as well not wear it since it will probably fly off when you actually need it.

 

[ryan]

theres nothing to it. how a bout your chin sticking out? i like my mx helmet. that thing looks like a kids toy. mine has come off just the one time. i know thats all it takes. always open to new and safer.

 

[SXIPro]

I have the same one as slutty. A couple other benefits are you will never take a bar to the teeth or nose, plus it is very light. As far as it being a toy, I had my '04 SJ land on my head while wearing the Cascade. Both the helmet and my noggin were fine afterwards.

 

[sjetrider]

My thoughts and these are only speculations.

some facts as I know them (correct me if I am wrong): his helmet was removed and his hood was off the ski and his body was found on the rocks.

With that info I can assume his ski died/flooded, or hood was compromised in some way, making him in the water w/ the ski sinking. I know as a seasoned rider that the first thing you do is remove your helmet especially if it's one of the MX style helmets that are very heavy and do not allow good viewing. It's very claustrophobic feeling to have on in the water. I can only speculate but he either tried to stay w/ the ski or decided to leave it and then was washed into the rocks by the current causing head trauma and eventually drowning. This is only speculation so do not take as fact, but I really can't see another way it could have happened.

did they find his ski and was it near him if they did?

All this sounds reasonable but I dont get how he was found so close to the ride spot and it took so freakn long to find him, He did have a vest on right? So he should have been floating and easily seen?

 

[ryan]

I have the same one as slutty. A couple other benefits are you will never take a bar to the teeth or nose, plus it is very light. As far as it being a toy, I had my '04 SJ land on my head while wearing the Cascade. Both the helmet and my noggin were fine afterwards.

good to here. it just looks tiny. i rember when i didnt ride with a helmet boy was i lucky. what the hell was i thinking.

 

[Matt_E]

my giro remedy woudl always get ripped off.....the cascade is awesome, always feels planted.......I cant ride without it now, its like a seatbelt




the mx style helmets always make my neck sore the day after riding and increase rider fatigue.....







I know the Holland pierhead well...its a dangerous spot and Lake Michigan can get as knarly (or worse) than the most powerful ocean storms............tragic loss I will never forget it as my family lives very close to Holland, Mi

What makes the Holland pierhead such a dangerous spot?

 

[wydopen]

I agree but wouldnt that have to be some massive beating against the rocks to crack the helmet? With that said how much pressure does it take to put a crack in a helmet? I realize I do not know what type/kind of helmet Kevin was wearing. I only saw the picture of it in the Still picture that was posted of him wearing it.
Im with you, Im wondering how the helmet was removed, by himself or strap broke, ect.

This is a tragic loss.

ive cracked a helmet before from hitting it on the chinpad..it doesn't take that much..although without the weight of it being on someones head i would think it would be hard for it to break just getting pushed against rocks..ive had a helmet fly out of my truck on the freeway and it didnt crack..

 

[QuickMick]

ive cracked a helmet before from hitting it on the chinpad..it doesn't take that much..although without the weight of it being on someones head i would think it would be hard for it to break just getting pushed against rocks..ive had a helmet fly out of my truck on the freeway and it didnt crack..

I agree, and thats just what I was thinking. If Kevins head was in the helmet when it was hitting the rocks, I would think his shoulders would be beat up pretty bad. The helmet by itself washing up on the rocks might get banged up but I doubt any crack would form unless something heavy smashed it against a rock other than a wave.

But in 10' waves, if I lost my ski and had that heavy water logged MX helmet on, (which Is what I have and know the weight) thats the first thing I would remove due to the weight. It has styrofoam in it and will float.

 

[wheelman1976]

What makes the Holland pierhead such a dangerous spot?

There's huge boulders that line the arms that go out to the light towers. I have to say I bet if he stayed 100 yards north of the entrance he would have lived to tell about it b/c he would have most likely been just pushed into the beach. My guess is that he was around that way b/c there was possibly some protection from waves and they were somewhat more managable? The other guys out there can tell. I've gone out of port sheldon just north of there and sometimes we'll go around to one side or the other and let the arms be a break to the waves, but with sticking close to the arms you also put yourself in danger if you have boat problems b/c you can get thrown up against there.

A number of years ago when myself and a bunch of friends went out there we saw two guys walking back on the pier and when we got back to launch heard them talk about how their couch was upside down getting bashed against the pier... there was nothing they could do.

 

[aramis]

Just a random thought...everyone here is posting ultimately to help understand what happened, learn how to avoid terrible accidents like this in the future, mourn for Kevin and probably most of all try to get some closure and make some sense of it.

So, I'm wondering if, as some properly timed memorial, it would be worthwhile to present Kevin's family with a hardcopy "book" of all of the threads here on X-H2O...his family could see how the community was concerned, all of the compassion that was shared, the attempts to make sense of it, and the safety suggestions that resulted from this tragedy. If properly timed (maybe a year from now?), it might make for a nice memorial.

Not sure how to go about doing it, but thought I'd toss that idea out there...

 

[mdl76]

This *is* a death sport... if you don't take the proper precautions.
It *is* stupid to go out and ride in those conditions... if you don't take the proper precautions.

I hope this post isn't taken the wrong way. I ache for Kevin Bruins wife and boys. This should not have happened to them.

i agree.. my prays to his family... please everyone... always have a riding partner in crazy conditions

 

[WILKEY]

I was coming in the jetty and ran out of gas on a head hi day. If I wouldn't had a ride partner I would have been in the rocks in less than a minute. I learned my lesson that day, now I don't go near the rocks at all.

Toss them mx helmets for the water guys. Them things get so heavy they could snap a neck IMO.

 

[icecoled007]

Was Kevin doing back flips before this accident?

 

[teamkarb]

When I posted earlier, it wasnt my plan for more guessing games. I was hoping people would have the same thought as i had- he didnt have to fight for his life and drown- kev passed quickly doing what he loved. I have millions of questions, regrets and any thing else you can think of. But none of this helps his family, friends----or myself. Everyone can second guess things and that does no good either unless you change how you handle your own situation. Sorry for the emotation but its how i feel.

 

[Idok]

What makes the Holland pierhead such a dangerous spot?

freshwater harbor entrances are much smaller and narrower than anything you'll see going into the ocean.............



when you get conditions like they had this past weekend it really is just a giant washing machine of slop and chop....



You can see nice lines of waves stacked on top of each other in the open beach.......but when you have a harbor entrance/pierhead it creates the reef like formation and amps the waves up


the entrances are typically surrounded by HUGE jagged rocks that are smooth and algae covered....almost impossible to get any footing (even with shoes) on these rocks....very difficult approach in these conditions to the harbor mouth.....I grew up sailing and boating Lake Michigan with my family since I was a little kid. Our cottage is in Pentwater which is only 1.5 hours from Holland...I have been there many, many times via water.


any attempt to climb from the water up on the rocks during an event like this would be EXTREMELY difficult even for a seasoned rider.....it would be near impossible if injured


My take on this situation is that he lost his hood and helmet in the same event....somehow he got hurt..........I dont know if Kevin was a roller/flipper or a waverider....but IM guessing there was an impact that knocked the wind out of him and the hood off at the same time....


maybe the helmet was torn off, maybe he pulled it off.......


even in those knarly conditions the winds are blowing dead onshore.....with a vest, a helmet and a wetsuit he was undoubtedly prepared for the water and the temps are not that cold yet so hypothermia not really a concern..even if he'd have floated for 24hours body temp would have probably been "ok"


NO way though did he just lose his ski and got tossed on the rocks....he had to have been injured or unconscious

 

[Idok]

here's the pierhead.....

 

[grumbles2]

Comment about helmets

http://www.geckoheadgear.com/

These are specifically designed for the rough marine environment.

 

[blaster800]

here's the pierhead.....

For those who dont know the lake thats the pierhead on a small wave day !!!!! ..

 

[Idok]

For those who dont know the lake thats the pierhead on a small wave day !!!!! ..

yes absolutely...that is maybe a 2-3' day according to how they measure in that region....




I have personally seen waves that just envelop that pier like it wasnt even there....again, just in ZERO organized fashion







this is so very sad..I have no doubt in my mind that this incident will play in the minds of those riding on big wave days for a LONG time...

I have had a mindset for a long time.....your riding buddies are different than people you are just friends with, or aquainted with....when you ride certain times or places your buds are all you have...You put your life in their hands and they put theirs in yours....

I had my own scare in 2005 when I was riding my GP1200 ALONE at the secret spot....at 5PM...in DECEMBER on a 6' day

got separated...boat was sitting 50 yards away upside down....I remembver thinking swim or die, there was NOONE else on the water

honestly, I dont even know how it started...this was back in the days when I didnt know jetskis broke down, or you even had to change the spark plugs on occasion

that was the LAST time I rode open water alone. (ripping around a populated lake is different)



Ive been asked countless times to ride here or there with various people over the years......if the surf is big Im not going without one of my boys...someone I trust unconditionally




everyone needs to learn from this incident, we need to allow Kevins death to further EVERYONES knowledge....big surf and adrenaline go hand in hand.......Just got to remmeber to never lose sight of common sense


in fact, one of the threads from this event needs to be stickied........this is the FIRST death that has occured while operating a standup watercraft ever since Ive been in the game....lets let it be a lesson to everyone