Water Sports Helmet

[TeamAllen]

http://www.protechelmet.com/products.asp?cat=11
http://www.wakeside.com/category/wak...ard_helmets.do

A few older threads on the subject.
http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/show...hlight=helmets
http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/show...ghlight=helmet
http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/show...ghlight=helmet
http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/show...ghlight=helmet

[G-MONEY]

Sounds like we need the myth busters to look at this.

Has anyone ever cracked their head open just hitting water?

Helmets protect your head from cracking open from hitting a hard surface. You get knocked out form you brain slamming in to your skull. A helmet can't protect that from happening. It will only make your head stop faster when hitting the water because of the greater surface area hence making your brain hit the inside of your skull harder. Now you will get knocked our from a lesser crach.

[BLACKLIST]

I think helmets are great idea especially for young kids. They are soooooo flexible and when they fall the board can swing around and smack em in the head. Ive seen it happen to a hand full of customers and their kids.

[ImaPigDog]

G - I'm not picking on you here so please don't take it personal. I have watched this online debate for the past few years and there are always two sides and nothing to really prove with or without a helmet to be better.

Has anyone ever cracked their head open just hitting water?

Probably not, but many have required a lot of stitches due to getting hit in the head by a board.

Helmets protect your head from cracking open from hitting a hard surface. You get knocked out form you brain slamming in to your skull.

True!

A helmet can't protect that from happening. It will only make your head stop faster when hitting the water because of the greater surface area hence making your brain hit the inside of your skull harder. Now you will get knocked our from a lesser crach.

I see your point but respectfully disagree. I understand the physics behind greater surface area hitting the water. However, I haven't seen any empirical evidence to prove this to be the case. Assuming that the helmet absorbs some of the impact, wouldn't there be less total impact of the brain slamming against the inside of the skull?

Sounds like we need the myth busters to look at this.

Sounds like the best suggestion so far. I would love to see an unbiased study to be done on this topic to prove the risks and/or prevention with and without a helmet.

My uneducated opinion (and gut feeling) about this is that it is similar to wearing a seat belt. There are certain circumstances where the seat belt could cause more harm. However, the majority of the time it will due more to protect than harm.

[thtrog]

I would like to see more specific recommendations or stats; here are some articles that may help you make a decision on your individual situation.

http://boardsport.wordpress.com/2008...d-concussions/
http://www.jssm.org/vol9/n1/13/v9n1-13text.php
http://www.astm.org/SNEWS/SO_2009/smith_so09.html

[Dan and Christy]

Just thought of something. The surface area might be increased, however helmets have holes in the top. This may actually help to lessen the impact because the entire surface of the helmet does not hit the water at the same time. The holes break up the surface of the water at impact. Myth Busters here we come!

[G-MONEY]

lets submit it on line.

How cool would that be!

[Bandsecurity]

Having yiour head crack open is not what causes the damage. It is the cuncussion that causes the damage. Water is not the only hazard - boards and debris in the water can cause injuries.

No offense, but your arguement regarding helments makes no sense. Using your logic, football players should not wear helmets as they would possibly get knocked outed out "from a lesser crash".

Has anyone ever cracked their head open just hitting water?

Helmets protect your head from cracking open from hitting a hard surface. You get knocked out form you brain slamming in to your skull. A helmet can't protect that from happening. It will only make your head stop faster when hitting the water because of the greater surface area hence making your brain hit the inside of your skull harder. Now you will get knocked our from a lesser crach.

[G-MONEY]

Having yiour head crack open is not what causes the damage. It is the cuncussion that causes the damage. Water is not the only hazard - boards and debris in the water can cause injuries.

No offense, but your arguement regarding helments makes no sense. Using your logic, football players should not wear helmets as they would possibly get knocked outed out "from a lesser crash".

None taken this is all opinion's, this is a great topic and should be discussed form both point of views.

but in football you hitting a hard surface not water, you're not comparing apples to apples, you can't use that argument. Yes water can hurt but it's not concrete. I would take a belly flop or face plant at 25-30 MPH on water over concrete any day.

yes, it would protect you from a board or some freak accident you hit some kind of debris. How likely is the board going to hit me in the head let alone hitting my head on debris?

[G-MONEY]

What about skiers you never see them ware a helmet's?

Think about it, you're going twice as fast and it's very passable to hit you heat on the ski.

[specialk]

Having some rudementary classes in engineering and fluid dynamics, also having a very comprehensive knowledge about human anatomy, the increase in surface area would be negledgible when compared to the asymetrical shape of the skull, being nearly flat on the side of the head, couple that with the thinnest bone is on the side, where the middle menigeal artery runs, when you hear of someone dying a few hours after a relativley small concussion it is due to the fracture causing a rupture in the artery, deloping a epidural hematoma,
Long story short wear one if you want to, it will only help.

[Bandsecurity]

You are not hitting concrete in football. And i was not comparing water to concrete. But water traveling at high speed, essentially the same impact as falling on water at speed, hurts - think about high pressure hoses. Water is not soft...they use water cannons as weapons. The helmet absorbs some of that impact...that is the purpose and why people wear them. At the point of impact, the force is distributed throughout the helmet lessing the overall affect. I am not that good of a wakeboarder but I have had some bad falls - bell ringers at 22 mph. I have had similar falls with a helmet and there was less impact.

I agree hitting concrete with your head is not good. But lets take a point you made and examine it. I would challenge you to a belly flop at 10 feet. Do the same belly flop with an inch of of foam protecting your belly. In which instance will you feel less pain?

Regarding debris in the water, the next time you are in Sac come out with me on the Delta and I will show you debris.

None taken this is all opinion's, this is a great topic and should be discussed form both point of views.

but in football you hitting a hard surface not water, you're not comparing apples to apples, you can't use that argument. Yes water can hurt but it's not concrete. I would take a belly flop or face plant at 25-30 MPH on water over concrete any day.

yes, it would protect you from a board or some freak accident you hit some kind of debris. How likely is the board going to hit me in the head let alone hitting my head on debris?

[Guapo]

Having some rudementary classes in engineering and fluid dynamics, also having a very comprehensive knowledge about human anatomy, the increase in surface area would be negledgible when compared to the asymetrical shape of the skull, being nearly flat on the side of the head, couple that with the thinnest bone is on the side, where the middle menigeal artery runs, when you hear of someone dying a few hours after a relativley small concussion it is due to the fracture causing a rupture in the artery, deloping a epidural hematoma,
Long story short wear one if you want to, it will only help.

That's exactly what I was going to say...word for word...

SpecialK and Ima said it very well. Especially the seat belt example. In certain circumstances a helmet could do more harm that good, but I would think that would be the exception not the rule. Obviously it's not a law to wear them, so it's up to each of us to decide if it's something we will or will not do.

For me, I'm buying helmets for this upcoming season for my kids...and me....

[Yessup]

Maybe a helmet with a breakaway chin strap would be perfect. It could take the initial blow and save the ears. It would tear away if/when it started bucketing or a specified pressure was reached.

[River Runner]

I'm gonna stick to underwater basket weaving!!! Much safer and was an easy "A" in college!!!