My surf leg (that I also skate, rock climb, hike and camp in) is made from old parts that I had lying around. Nothing fancy. I'm on a budget and I know what I need to get the job done. That's the ability to trust my prosthetic. That's crucial when you're out there in the water. It's hard enough to surf with one real leg. I don't want to worry about it falling off or the knee unexpectedly breaking on me.
My surf leg is a basic hinge knee that I had locked in an athletic stance. The "knee" is locked with casting material. For the knee, you can just go to a hardware store and rig it up if you don't have access to one. The leg is bent at the knee and ankle. For the ankle, you'll need an angle adjuster(I don't know if this is the proper term but I'll have pictures). My surf leg is shorter than my everyday walking leg. Surf leg stands at 79cm. Walking prosthetic is 89cm. Having it shorter is crucial. It allows you to crouch down somewhat.
Here is my surf leg. I wrapped the pylon and knee with pipe insulation and electrical tape. It helps prevent destroying your board.
Angle for the ankle. I don't have anything to measure the degree.
The knee. It's attached with a pyramid set up.
Front view.
Front view 2.
Here's a view of the angle adjuster I was talking about. Not the best picture but I couldn't get past the duct tape without my foot coming apart ;). The foot on there was one I had lying around. I've been using it on this leg for two years and it's finally kicked the bucket. I rarely have issues with the foot slipping off the board. I forget the name... sach or satalite... I don't know.
This is a comparison of my everyday leg(c-leg) and my surf leg.
For all my sockets, I use the lanyard system. I love this method because it's quick and easy to remove and put on the leg. I sweat a lot so that crucial. Besides that, I trust it more than having something like a suction system in the water. I've never tried the pin system because my residual limb is too long. That's also an Iceross Liner from Ossur.
Edit: I should mention that you should have a separate liner for surfing. There's some gnarly stuff in the ocean that you don't want in your everyday walking liner.
Edit: I should mention that you should have a separate liner for surfing. There's some gnarly stuff in the ocean that you don't want in your everyday walking liner.
When I surf I always wear a wetsuit. If the water's warm, I'll wear scuba shorts. This is because the leg will start to come off a little. I've never had it completely come off before but when it starts to slip, it hurts. A wetsuit folded up or even cut on the side of your prosthetic up to the knee is a life saver.
I'm missing my right leg and I'm regular foot so I wear my leash on my left(front leg) to prevent pulling on my prosthetic.
Well, that's it! Easy Peesy, right? Please send me videos and pictures of you out there ripping. I love it and I hope this helps!
Thank you, Michael Stull and RGP Prosthetics for all your love and support. Thank you Challenged Athletes Foundation, Adaptive Action Sports, Symbiotechs USA, Hawaiian Pro Designs, Chris Grant, JettyGIRL online surf magazine, Ryan Levinson, Oscar Loreto, NMCSD, and my amazing friends for... everything.
Now, get out there! ;)
