Small cuts and wounds on your windsurf or surf trip part1

“Your dream have become true, you are in windsurf and surf paradise, you have looked forward to this and made planes for it in several months. After some days you feel as king on the water, and suddenly in a turn or manure you fall in the water on the reef and on a reflex you kicks down in the water, and out of nothing you suddenly have a wound…”

Sounds familiar?


When I have got some cuts and wounds on a windsurf surf vacation, I have tested out different methods, ignore it, use big bandages, use wound ointment, stay out of water and so on. By all different methods I have tested out, the method described here in this post have so far worked best for me.

If you live on a place with good conditions, and you get a cut, it is maybe not a big problem, you deal with it and take a rest for some days. So this article is not for the lucky ones living by a nice spot. They have after all maybe thicker skin on their foots.

But if you are one a windsurfing or surf vacation, a cut can be a big problem. You don’t want to use precious time to wait for the cut to be healed. Even a small cut can give you problems for days. It is typical when you have had a wound for several days in a windsurf vacation, you almost can see it grow again when sitting on airplane back home. The reason for that is may that the tissue don’t get so much stress by water and moist climate.
I must emphasize that I am not a doctor, so this kind of advice is from my own experience with small wounds combined with water sport.

See the picture from a cut I got from surf on a reef at Maui. When I am used to European conditions it is sometimes only on a reflex I kicks down in the water. But if you do that when you are on a reef you may end up with a cut as on the picture . As you can see not a big cut, but for me it was important to prevent it from be infected.

First of all if you get a cut and it not is to big, just stay out there and be in the water as normal. When you come to beach, you for sure as best as possible try to not get any sand or dirt in the wound. When you come back home even if the cut is small you should take it seriously and take actions to clean it. I use Chlorhexidine to clean the cut. I also use a NEW soft toothbrush to brush out all visible dirt and sand. It is important to sterilize the toothbrush first. You can do that in boiled water, and let the toothbrush stay in boiled water for about 5 min. (remember to cool down the toothbrush in air first) When you repeat the cleaning process every evening as long as it needs it is important to clean and sterilize the toothbrush every time. When I use the toothbrush in the cut I also add more Chlorhexidine simultaneously.

As told you should do this process every evening until you feel that the wound is healed. About the healing time: I think the healing process will go much faster if you stay out of water for some days. And the toothbrush process may hold the wounds opened, because you brush out the thin skin witch may have been established. But you are on an expensive vacation, and can’t stay out of water. In my opinion it is better to have a wound, be on the water, but be sure so the wound not get infected.
So now you have a clean wound, what to do then?
Many people want to have a bandage on it! That is maybe ok if the cut is under the foot. But if it is possible I recommend having the wound open, so it get air and can dry out. I have earlier tested some wound ointment. I don’t recommend that, the wound get wet, and I think it is better for the wound to get dry. But if you for practical reason had to use some bandage rest of the evening I think it is smart to take it off during the night.

So what to do next day?
There is wind and waves and you want to be on and in the water with your board!!
I then recommend using some protection, maybe a waterproof band-aid. And when you windsurf you should use shoes. (If you surf you probable don’t use shoes) In my experience if the band aid is waterproof or not it will anyway work loose. In my opinion, it is ok it has after all may done some protections. When you are back to the beach, maybe packing the gear back in to the car and later take of your windsurf shoes off, remove the wet band aid, and add a new one. When you come back home repet the cleaning possess….and so on.

I Hope this “article” is helpful for someone!
I, as everybody else have had some cuts and wounds when on a windsurf surf vacation. I have tested out different methods, ignore it, use big bandages, use wound ointment, stay out of water and so on. The description above is what worked best for me, when I got several cuts, but non of them got seriously infected.
I repeat I am not a doctor. this is just from my own experience!