test
We are stoked to be able to share this test with you. At the Surf Expo in Orlando this year we started talking to a guy at SurfCo’s booth about nose guards. He began to share with us about how many people are critically injured by the nose of their surfboard during a fall and how much a nose guard can protect you. He offered us a few to take back and test for the site. After the convention we have had a terrible flat spell, broken only by some crappy windswell. During our no wave depression we came up with a way to test how effectively the SurfCo Hawaii nose guard can protect your head.
The test was simple, but proves a great point: we took two watermelons (to represent a human head) and dropped them on the nose of a surfboard, once while the board had no nose guard and then again after applying the nose guard. We decided to drop the melons from a height of 20 inches, measuring before each drop to ensure that the damage to the melons would be equal apart from the protection of the nose guard. The whole goal of this test was simply to determine how much protection a SurfCo nose guard would provide.
The first melon hit the unprotected nose with a sickening sound. The melon was actually split open because of the trauma of the hit. Imagining a human head hitting with that force, it is easy to see that the nose of a board is no joke, especially if it were to hit soft tissue (think neck, stomach, face). We then applied the nose guard. (It is super easy to apply, just clean the nose, sand lightly and stick it on.) After applying the nose guard, we dropped another melon on the board from the same height. This melon fell to the ground and rolled down the hill that we were testing on. Surprisingly, even after its tumble, it faired better than its predecessor. The melon that was protected by the nose guard from SurfCo Hawaii still had a puncture wound, but it was decidedly smaller and definitely less deep. Also, the second melon was protected from splitting open like the first.
We know that melons aren’t the perfect human head simulate, but the point of this test was to find out whether a nose guard would help protect you or not. The answer is definitely yes. And if you don’t believe us, just check out the testimonials on SurfCo Hawaii’s website: http://www.surfcohawaii.com/category-s/34.htm We thought Darren B’s story reflected an accurate idea of what a surfboard nose can do to your face if you have no protection. Will landing on the nose of your board with a nose guard on still hurt? I would think so, but the extra protection it gives could keep you from hospitalization, or it could be the difference between life and death, and it doesn’t have any negative effect on the performance of your board.
The Wrap Up
Pros: Could be the difference between some stitches vs permanent brain damage; Protection against puncture wounds from the nose of your board; no negative impact on board performance
Cons: Looks different, and surfers can get a little hung up on image
What we say: There is really no reason not to get these things. Just click on the testimonials link above. Think about: Protect your melon.
ooooouuuuuch dude.