Loose Board Nearly Lops Off Surfer’s Arm, Leading Byron Bay Critics To Call For Mandatory Legropes

The surf world is rife with controversy of late, no?

Between Bethany Hamilton Insta posts, undeserved 9.93’s, and marginal interference calls, we’ve spent far more time reading passionately misspelled Instagram comments than usual.

Now, in Byron Bay — the Australian town with the second highest number of leashless longhaired hippies per capita — a heated legrope debate has sparked, in light of a man nearly losing his life.

Just yesterday, according to ABC North Coast, Matthew Cassidy was enjoying a pleasant dip with 500 of his best friends, when an unmanned (probably triple-stringered) longboard careened into him.

“The board flew up under may arm and ripped through all the veins and arteries,” he said. “I looked down and I could see half my bicep hanging out. There was a lot of blood.”

The 49-year-old former professional surfer told a bystander to use a legrope as a tourniquet to stem the bleeding “which absolutely saved my life”.

As the dust settles, a crop of local surfers are allegedly up in arms regarding the age-old legrope debate.

“Obviously everyone should wear a legrope,” Mr Cassidy said. “There’s this whole hipster thing about not wearing one, but that doesn’t hold water for me. The Pass is full of kids, and I think there have been four incidents outside of mine in the last month or so. How do you look your wife in the eye if you’ve knocked a kid out just because you didn’t want to wear a legrope?”

Another, more colorful response explicated; “Wearing a g-string and pulling off at the end of a wave and smiling at someone doesn’t put their arm back on.”

Fair points. Maybe everyone who decides to surf without a leggie could keep one on hand in case they need to tourniquet someone they’ve decapitated?

We won’t be taking a side on the issue until either Alex Knost or Joel Tudor get a chance to weigh in with their (probably clever/derisive) thoughts.