Chilly evening on the stones.

[Jew Stalker]

Well Last night was a bit of a pain in the leg... It all started with the idea of a hunt for a kingy or a jew as usual. One of my good mates came to my house and asked me if I wanted to go for a rock fish. I looked outside my house over the headland and was watching the wind howling at no less than 20 knots but it would have been coming from behind us so it was ok for this spot(Tura headland). My first words to him were "I don't know mate, it is all a bit crap and I don't see it going well" (There were white caps everywhere and the swell was up from the big winds). His reply was something like "I need to go do something, I am going stir crazy, even if we don't catch anything I just need to go through the motions of putting a line in the water". So I said ok let's go and get a couple.

So next thing I know I am setting up my kingy popper rod and a smaller one to have a spin for some salmon and bonnies for a bit of fun and we embark on our little journey. Although you can see Tura head from my house it is a little bit of a walk down there, It takes about 15 minutes to walk down to the headland and then you need to navigate the rocks down to the fishing spot. I have done this a hundred times before in this location. I like to think I know most rocks there pretty well. Anyway this time I noticed a little short cut which I had never seen before and it didn't look too bad, basically I had to step down a couple of feet from the ledge onto a good sized rock then down onto another and I would be continuing. Anyhoo I stepped down onto this rock and then it happened... I heard a snap, rolled over on my ankle and proceeded to tumble off the lower boulder and land in a small crevice which opened up to where I wanted to go. Instantly I knew something was wrong as when I tried to put pressure on it blinding pain shot up my leg, it was well dusted and I couldn't move another step.

I call out to my buddy who went the normal way as he already walked past the crevice when I had seen it and got him to come to me. I told him the situation and what had just happened and asked him to call an ambulance. When they got there I was given a heap of morphine to help with the excruciating pain throbbing in my ankle. Basically we had to wait for one of two methods, either the helicopter to get here from sydney or a 4WD ute with someone who had access to the keys at the main gate so they could get to the end of the track at the start of the rocks. The ute made it a minute or so before the helicopter (bummer) about 2 hours later so up the rocks I went on a stretcher onto the back of a ute to the top of the trail where the ambulance was waiting and off to the hospital I went.

I guess the moral of the story is this... The rocks are extremely dangerous, you cannot let your concentration slip for even a second as there is always something that is ready to bring you down in a heartbeat when you least expect it. Even with years of experience and good knowledge on the area you can still come undone. Please be careful or you could end up with worse than a busted ankle, I was kind of lucky I didn't smash my head after falling the way I did.

P.S.

There were also multiple comments upon my PFD I was wearing at the time, they were glad to see people starting to use them especially after the recent incident where my friends found the body of a rock fisherman not long ago after he had been swept off the rocks.

[tasksta]

Wow scary read but could have been so much worse your very lucky. Good on you for the PFD, hopefully someone will learn from this.

[funnierthanu]

Mate , i fished the stones yesterday and with a bad knee and knee guard on i am always carefull . I fall everywhere when walking in due to this knee and the fellows call me mr bean .I have been lucky so far but like you my time will come . Hope you recovery goes smoothly .

[Jew Stalker]

Cheers guys,

Usually I am careful also, my best idea suggests to me that I just took my eye off where I was placing my foot precisely on new ground and just like taking your eye off the ball when you are about to catch one mistakes are bound to happen. It was my own fault but I am grateful to my friend and the emergency services for their help as I couldn't have done it myself short of crawling over the rocks and about a mile up a ridge line to houses.

Good news is I am healing pretty well. The pain is backing off and the swelling is starting to go down alot and the bruising is starting to appear. It turns out the ankle has torn the ligaments which fan down to your foot on the outside, the top ones and inside ones are fine. The doc says a couple of weeks and I will be able to walk on it and just take it easy for a few months until it gets its strength up again and heals fully. Better than it being clean snapped like the last time I broke it about 15 years ago. I do believe tearing those ligaments and feeling them snap like they did felt as bad as breaking it, hence why I thought it was snapped again and the instant tennis ball on my ankle was a dead give away for me. Lucky I guess. I will be back on the water in no time flat... Probably a few seconds later though as I make sure of my navigational skills over the stones hehehe.

[Shanemills]

Sorry to hear hope you have a speedy recovery. So easy to slip on rocks. I was fishing with a mate on some rocks at balmain when he slipped on some sand and lost his footing. He then looked where he was going and decided to jump so he wouldn't hit his head or something It was a 5 to 6 meter drop when he landed he shattered his heel they had to slide him up an extension ladder in a stretcher. As they were lifting him up about half way one of the carrabeenas sorry for spelling snapped. It was lucky they had a safety on. It took him 3 months till he could even walk around with a moon boot. They had to put plates in his foot with 7 massive screws. He only recently got them out after about 2 years.

[Shanemills]

Sorry to hear hope you have a speedy recovery. So easy to slip on rocks. I was fishing with a mate on some rocks at balmain when he slipped on some sand and lost his footing. He then looked where he was going and decided to jump so he wouldn't hit his head or something It was a 5 to 6 meter drop when he landed he shattered his heel they had to slide him up an extension ladder in a stretcher. As they were lifting him up about half way one of the carrabeenas sorry for spelling snapped. It was lucky they had a safety on. It took him 3 months till he could even walk around with a moon boot. They had to put plates in his foot with 7 massive screws. He only recently got them out after about 2 years.

[Jew Stalker]

10 days later, I am hobbling around without crutches, hoping next week I can go back to work as funds are getting tight. I think I am recovering quite well considering the damage done. Thanks for the support.

Your mate was a lucky guy! Better a foot than a neck right! probably best that he did jump out with a fall like that. You don't want to be heading down a rock face that far that close when you are getting that much speed.

[Testlab]

10 days later, I am hobbling around without crutches, hoping next week I can go back to work as funds are getting tight. I think I am recovering quite well considering the damage done. Thanks for the support.

Your mate was a lucky guy! Better a foot than a neck right! probably best that he did jump out with a fall like that. You don't want to be heading down a rock face that far that close when you are getting that much speed.

Good to hear you're coming along well and let's hope its a nice quick and trouble free progression from here on. Nothing worse than being laid up and the funds getting tight.

[Jew Stalker]

Good to hear you're coming along well and let's hope its a nice quick and trouble free progression from here on. Nothing worse than being laid up and the funds getting tight.

Thanks mate. Bit more of an update, I went back to work today moving some furniture and the ankle held up quite well. I strapped it up this morning like I would for sports which I think was the best move, it gave it plenty of support. Looks like things are going to be pretty good from this point.

I look forward to getting back on the stones and having a flick. I just hope the lets me after my last effort hehehe.

[jenno64]

Glad to hear you on the mend. I opened up my auto inflatable PFD a while ago to find the oxygen canister not only rusted up but not attached to the activator!!! I called the suppliers and had it all renewed and ready for action. Just thinking someone was watching over me in the last few years of rock and kayak fishing wearing what was really only a manually inflatable PFD!

[Jew Stalker]

Glad to hear you on the mend. I opened up my auto inflatable PFD a while ago to find the oxygen canister not only rusted up but not attached to the activator!!! I called the suppliers and had it all renewed and ready for action. Just thinking someone was watching over me in the last few years of rock and kayak fishing wearing what was really only a manually inflatable PFD!

That is freaky Jenno, glad nothing went wrong... Could have been very bad news. The one I have one is the first one I have owned, I automatically assumed also that they were ready to go. Just checked mine then and it seems ok, it is all tight and connected and short of testing it I think I am good. Thanks for the advice!

[sinbad66]

seems you knew better and didnt listen to yaself

next time take ya mate to the pub

if in doubt give it a miss is my go

still glad ya ok sorta

cheers

[big Neil]

10 days later, I am hobbling around without crutches, hoping next week I can go back to work as funds are getting tight. I think I am recovering quite well considering the damage done. Thanks for the support.

Your mate was a lucky guy! Better a foot than a neck right! probably best that he did jump out with a fall like that. You don't want to be heading down a rock face that far that close when you are getting that much speed.

Glad ur making a good recovery. Looking fwd to catching up ,if possible, in July. Cheers, Neil.