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

[Fro Diesel]

No one can fully put there self in your shoes. Sounds like Kevin was ok riding alone and must have taken out on his own alot for someone to assume he just went off by himself and left the ramp and for him to go out and ride with no sight of the person going out with him.
Hope this serves as a reminder to all people to not go into dangerous waters ALONE!!! Anything can happen.

Alone or not it still may have happened. How quick can you revive someone who is unconscience in overhead surf let alone get someone onshore? Kevin always rode alone, he was a crazy, fearless seemingly invincible rider. My hope is we can continue to learn frim this as individuals and a community.

 

[Wolf Child]

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

I have ridden that spot many times, the rolling waves going into the inlet on a heavy surf day will easily sweep over the piers. the waterwill surge up the sudenly just disapear from under you. to make matters worse, the currents and wave formations seemto have no rhyme nor reason in reguards to direction. I've see the waves hit shore and then rebound back out.

I'm not convinced of your analysis on what may have happened to Kevin though. there is no way to knowfor sure, but temps have gotten cold pretty early this year according to people I still talk to frequently in that area. sadly, I dont think we will ever know what happend for sure.

 

[djkorn1]

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.

This is exactly what I am thinking happened. REMEMBER, these were 12 foot waves, and not like the ocean where they are separated, they are EVERYWHERE and on top of each other. Its insane out there... No way you would see him against the rocks in waves this big. I am thinking he was trying to rescue his ski after losing the hood and then either the ski hit him in the head or he held on to it too close to the rocks.

 

[Wolf Child]

Agreed. it makes the most sence. doesnt make it suck any less though.

 

[djkorn1]

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?

Once again, you can't even get out there when the waves are 12-15 feet and there are gale force winds. You can't walk on the rocks, because the waves are going over them. It took 2 days for the water to calm down to a level that was somewhat reasonable. Even on skis, you don't go NEAR those rocks in those conditions.

To the riders that were there that day, I don't think they did anything in the wrong. Sorry we are speculating on what happened, but Kevin was a friend of mine too, and I think we just all want to find ways to ride safer. We can't quit riding, Kevin never would have wanted us too.

 

[Wolf Child]

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 have been wearing a lacrosse helmet the last couple years and I dont see how it could ever come off. similar design to what you have if I'm not mistaken.

 

[cybermob2]

according to another rider who talked to kevin's dad at the visitation, the understanding is that ski/pole hit kevin so hard that his helmet cracked in half and knocked kevin out, and it was also said that kevin was riding and socializing on the beach for upwards of an hour before the accident.

i know kevin had a RRP pole and carbon chin pad... carbon splinters in the helmet or helmet splinters in the pole/bars would probably lead to this assumption. i would believe the medical personnel would have been able to confirm this... but this will probably never be known publically.


we'll never know for sure... but this explaination does at least offer peace in the hope that it was no ones fault, and even if there had been a 100 of us, it may have been too late. a freak accident to a great guy.

 

[wheelman1976]

according to another rider who talked to kevin's dad at the visitation, the understanding is that ski/pole hit kevin so hard that his helmet cracked in half and knocked kevin out, and it was also said that kevin was riding and socializing on the beach for upwards of an hour before the accident.

i know kevin had a RRP pole and carbon chin pad... carbon splinters in the helmet or helmet splinters in the pole/bars would probably lead to this assumption. i would believe the medical personnel would have been able to confirm this... but this will probably never be known publically.


we'll never know for sure... but this explaination does at least offer peace in the hope that it was no ones fault, and even if there had been a 100 of us, it may have been too late. a freak accident to a great guy.

He must have been completely airborn with no footing in order to be pitched over enough to nail his head on the pole that hard. Crazy.

 

[OCD Solutions]

it was also said that kevin was riding and socializing on the beach for upwards of an hour before the accident.

I'd be interested in confirmation of this detail. The press had so many details wrong that I can't help but wonder if this is a misinterpretation of a detail or an actual fact.

 

[FlightPlanDan]

I had no Idea that the waves there could be so intense. Never been there.

What I do know is that, even with the most anal preparation for the worst, the water can throw you something you're not prepared for.

Sometimes things just happen.

 

[djkorn1]

I had no Idea that the waves there could be so intense. Never been there.
.

Oh yeah, they've sunk super tankers.

 

[B3IS]

Not wanting to imagine speculate or even try to figure out what happened.



Thank you Jordan and Doug for Sharing your stories......Stay focussed.

 

[DrewProductions]

Ive had this conversation with people numerous times about the Great Lakes. When people see TeamXtremeJetskiing they often ask "whats so xtreme about the great lakes or " you guys dont get surf up there do you"? Even local nonmariners ask these questions. The truth is the Great Lakes have been known to be some of the deadlist waters on the planet due to the fact that conditions can change so quickly and drastically. Like DJ said, they have been known to sink large cargo ships. Weve seen storms roll in on a flat sunny days, and in a matter of 10 minutes the sky is black as can be and youve got 8-10 ft waves with 50 mph + winds. Another thing we get on the Great Lakes are seiches, and with Lake Erie being the shallowest they affect us the most. For those who dont know what a seiche is the following link describes them best
http://www.geo.msu.edu/geogmich/seiches.htm
October 15th, it was predicted by NOAA that the East sides of the Great Lakes would experience a rise in water levels (seiche), and would experience wave height anywhere from 12-18 ft combined with a lake level rise of 6ft. That right there also tends to stir up the lakes bottoms. I seen full sized trees 2 plus feet in diameter that have prob been sitting on the bottom of the lake rise up to the surface and roll down the face of big waves in those conditions. Those kindof factors can turn your favorite riding spot which u know like the back of your hand into like riding a new spot for the first time ever, its likes a totally different world. That being said, your dealing with more than just "normal clean waves". Youve got wind, debris everywhere in the water, unpredictable wave directions and water height surges, throw in the fact that your near a rock wall, and Kevin possibly did a trick gone bad, or sucked up debris and was seconds away from the wall, and its a recipe for disaster.

Its ironic but Brian (proformance1) and I were out having drinks friday nite and we were talking to someone about how dangerous and even deadly these conditions are to ride in. The fact that when the lake level rises you dont hit beaches because theyre now underwater, you hit rocks, or in our case the breakwall and or cliffs near the marina. That if you suck something up and become dead in the water, you only have a matter of seconds before your in trouble. Ive personally pulled several of the boys out of those spots with my Ultra a number of times right before they were going to hit the wall or cliff. This is one reason why I have no problem at all being the only couch out there. Youll never hear any of my guys complain about me riding side by sude with them.
All in all I guess its a curse us freshwater guys have to deal with, the fact that when most people wouldnt step foot out of thier houses in those conditions, we are suiting up and running as fast as we can to get into that water. I wont ever stop doing it, and I know Kevin wouldnt want us to stop either. Lets keep doing what we love, just make sure to do it a little bit safer now

 

[Frosty]

Yeah, the great lakes can be insane... watch the history channel when they air 'ship wrecks of the great lakes' or the documentary on the Edmound Fitzgerald. prbly more wrecks on the lakes than anywhere else in the world.

 

[Rampage]

Thank you for this first hand story. I live in Holland, and I was amazed when I read this story on the news. I had figured they probably left a lot out, or provided false information. It's such a sad story, and I couldn't imagine what you two riders are going through, but like others have said, there isn't anything you could have done differently to stop what happened.
Like others have said, people who have not experienced Lake Michigan or other Great Lakes just wouldn't understand what the lakes can be like. I couldn't even imagine being out in those waves. My dad used to race sailboats with Doug DeVos, and he has many stories about the weather changing in a second....Michigan weather is just bad news sometimes.
I think I have met Kevin once or twice at a boat lunch. I was having some issues with my GPR and I talked to him about it for a bit, and he gave me his business card. Seemed like a very nice guy. What a loss, I pray for his family and friends.

 

[TB]

clip form a few years ago on the news...these were just an 8ft day on lake michigan at muskegon about 20 miles north but holland would have been experiencing the same conditions...

 

[aramis]

I think what surprises a lot of people isn't just the size of the waves, but how close together they can be. I've had a lot of people (including some ocean cigarette boat racers) tell me that they thought they had seen it all, but couldn't handle the short period waves of the great lakes. I have my own story (involving my own stupidity to some extent) where I almost became a statistic too this past summer...the waves weren't the biggest I've been in, but it was all due to the waves being so closely spaced. I simply couldn't get any momentum going again after falling, and was getting exhausted just trying to get back up. I kept getting dunked, and even had the ski get flipped up and land upside down on me. It was a pretty close call.

 

[BruceSki]

hey drew..... I agree with what you said. If we had a capable guy on a couch, it would have got us out of a bad situation last year.

We lost a ski on a 10-15 foot day. The coast guard came out and had some words with us as well...... ended up picking up the rider and taking him back to safety. All I can say is no matter how much time and experience you have, anything can happen. The water is stronger than all of us and has no remorse.

We rode the other day in big surf that was mostly wind blown like great lakes surf and it is a way scarier beast than storm surge. I made it to the jetty and turned around. Riding waves at the beach on the other side of the jetty would have guaranteed someone losing a ski at the minimum. I was much more cautious then I normally would be.

I can't even imagine what it must have been like for Kevin. I don't even like heading out with only 3 guys, let alone 2 or alone on days bigger than 6 foot.

I hope that his fellow riders can continue doing what they love and that maybe some of the other guys on here think safety a bit more before heading out in big stuff after this event.

 

[DrewProductions]

Ya Bruce the Coastguard tends to frown upon us going out on bad days lol. Weve even had the Sheriffs tell us not to go out before, that its to bad for a rescue. Mind you they end up driving away shaking thier heads. The link I posted about seiches mentions New Holland a few times and gets pretty interesting towards the bottom of the article.

 

[N3vrSat1sfied]

This wasn't my first time in 12' ers as well. I rode Hurricane Bill a few years ago as well as some other great tropical storms in North Florida. The water doesn't come close to comparing. What Kevin and I headed out in was 12' at roughly 4-6 seconds, but it is also very unpredictable as far as when the waves are breaking. I didn't get to ride it but I could tell it was by far the most extreme conditions I have been in. Like others said taking one fall would make it very hard to even get back up and going again.

I will continue riding, but I will set a height limit on the Great Lakes surf.