 I lost two and a half months of surfing last year, because my skeg sliced
my foot open. It was a great day, combo NW and SW swells at 48th St. inNewport Beach. Well overhead. I got about 5 waves, then got pitched on a big wedging peak.
My board came down with me, right along my legs, and then shot past my foot, fins first. The back of one of my skegs raked across my foot. I knew
I was hit hard, but the water was cold, so the pain wasn't so bad. I leaned back like an otter and lifted my foot out of the water. Huge 3-inch gash
across my foot, wide open like a huge mouth. I could see my tendons and everything.
 I jammed out of the water, hobbled up the beach and borrowed a hose from one of the houses to wash it out. I was in shock and not making the best decisions, so I stashed the board at the house with the hose, jumped into; car, and drove myself up to Hoag hospital, which is only a minute away. I bled all over my carpet and white knuckled it through two stoplights that seemed like they took forever to change to green.
 Thirty-five stitches later (inside and out), I was at home and on pain killers. The ER staff waited until I was stitched up and well shot up with local anesthesia to take off my full suit. I made a mess of the ER. The nerves still kind of hurt from time to time (I think the scarring jumbles em up). I could barely walk for a couple of weeks -- foot splint thing from the hospital helped. The first few nights were a nightmare, throbbing pain, shuffling around on hands and knees to get around the house. The fluid and blood pressure while standing was just unbearable. I now tell people that it's a shark bite scar. It looks just like a little one got me.
It took me two and a half months to get all healed up and back into the water. I put ProTeck PowerFlex into all my boards before paddling back out with my ugly, scarred foot. They're excellent performance fins, but also I feel much more comfortable wiping out in big surf, too. I know that the urethane on the edges will protect my skin should I get into an unfortunate washing machine tumble with board nearby. The backs of my old fins were just way too sharp, like razors. Thanks Surfco Hawaii! You make a great product for both safety and ripping waves.
All the best,
Phil
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