Here's some information for all Munich visitors.
During the night from Wednesday to Thursday, there was a very serious accident at the Eisbach Wave in the English Garden, and therefore it will remain closed until further notice. The injured surfer is still in critical condition.
German newspaper article: https://www.merkur.de/lokales/muenchen/nach-schwerem-unglueck-auf-der-eisbach-welle-surferin-33-immer-noch-in-kritischem-zustand-93690915.html
Sorry to read about this. We stop by there on every trip to watch them. I hope she pulls through.
For those who don't speak German, her board was caught on the bottom of the river bed and she was dragged under because her board leash didn't have a quick release. Important lesson there for any readers who surf.
A quick update on the Eisbach wave.
The surfer who was injured has unfortunately passed away. The surf spot is still closed. The City Council is now working with representatives of the surfing community to find a solution to make the Eisbach wave safer. The goal is to reopen the Eisbach wave soon.
that's sad.
Hope the new rules emphasise precautions.
Hope the new rules emphasise precautions.
The accident happenedd because the safety line of her surfboard had probably get caught on rocks at the bottom of the Eisbach stream, causing her to be pulled underwater and unable to free herself. The fire department drained the water and examined the bottom of the stream, and what they found wasn't that dangerous. So what can be done to ensure safety? After all, surfing is inherently dangerous. We'll see.
The Eisbach Wave is open again. It will take a while, say the surfers, for things to be back to the way they were before.
good news
I read variously in global surf media that Munich was going to send in divers to clean out the garbage collected on the river bottom, much stuff that can snag a surfboard leash.
I've swum in the Eisbach a few time. Joyful fun during a heatwave weekend when the park is crowded like a festival. But not entirely safe, particularly given all the crap (bicycles, etc) that people have thrown in there over the years.
Maybe of interest, about a year back a teen boy died in Bend Oregon at their river wave in a similar accident.
One might ask why can't the person drowning be freed? There are afterall a dozen or more athletes in the river, perhaps more experienced in dealing with its currents than anyone else.
In both cases, all of the other surfers certainly did try, one after the other after the other non-stop. The problem is that water is so darn heavy, and it is pushing so hard and so fast, that even if a strong young athlete can get a hold of the person underwater, or the leash, or whatever the leash is hooked onto, the full force of the river on a submerged body is pulling so hard that it's not possible to dislodge. Unbelievably difficult to hang on in those conditions long enough to disconnect a leash from an ankle. And nobody is carrying a knife to take a slice at the urethane leash.
It would be a terrible way to go, a tragedy for the victims. And must have been really hard on all of their peers desperately trying to save their lives but not able to.
