Question: Should I throw my board when faced with a large oncoming wave?
Answer: It depends on the situation. If you are up against a wave that breaks in deep water far from the beach (like Sunset), lock your fingers around your rails, pull your chest tight to the deck and let the wave have its way with you. The advantage here is that your board's buoancy will bring you back to the surface and act as a sail that will carry you closer to the safety of the shore while helping you avoid breaking your leash and thus being left boardless out in the lineup. Conversely, at a shallow reefbreak where waves are very hollow, and the reef is very sharp (like Pipeline), it might benefit you to toss your board and swim under the wave since your board will catch the wave's momentum thus driving you down into the reef and causing a bloody mess...Not cool in the least.
