Quirin Rohleder, at play on his home wave. Photo: Ross//Instagram
No one had died in the more than 50 years of river surfing at the famed Eisbach wave in Munich, Germany. That changed last week when tragedy struck: A 33-year-old surfer was trapped underwater when her leash was caught. She eventually succumbed to the injuries days later.
The Munich surf community is trying to comprehend how such an accident was possible. The family of the deceased and authorities have not released many details about the circumstances surrounding the death, but in the meantime, the wave has been closed. Violators can be slapped with a €50,000 fine.
According to Eisbach surfing legend Quirin Rohleder, it’s a tragedy that should have never occurred. It underlines the safety protocols and risks surrounding river surfing and stirs up a long-standing debate: When is a leash an asset, and when is it a danger?
“This would have never happened if someone from (the core surf community) were there,” explained Rohleder (she was surfing in the evening). Rohleder now works as the senior marketing manager at the o2 Surftown MUC wave pool. “It’s impossible. The wave is fast. There’s a lot of current. But if you know the wave and you have to jump in 10 times to try and grab her, then you do it 10 times and you will succeed.”
Rohleder recalls a similar situation that he witnessed at the Eisbach 25 years ago when a fellow surfer’s leash became entangled. Rohleder jumped in and rescued the surfer, who escaped unscathed. According to Rohleder, if you grab onto a surfer whose leash is stuck, the force of the water with the weight of two bodies attached should cause a leash to snap or break free. But he also stressed that you have to be familiar with the intricacies of the wave to do so.
It’s unknown how the woman’s leash became trapped in the recent accident. In the past, foreign objects, such as electric scooters or shopping carts, have lodged on the smooth concrete bottom. But when the river was subsequently drained to investigate the cause, no such objects were discovered.
Rohleder explained that the conditions of each river wave will determine if a leash is advisable. The Eisbach is one of the few waves where leashes are actually useful, he says. That’s because a loose board can get stuck in the curl and become a nuisance for other surfers waiting in line. In theory, wearing a leash was not a bad idea.
However, Rohleder, who never surfs with a leash himself, believes that being attached to the board becomes increasingly more dangerous as the conditions get more critical.
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“I’m not worried about the leash getting tangled somewhere like Eisbach,” said Rohleder. “But when I surf the open river when there are floodings, I never wear a leash. Every time I see someone wearing a leash, I’m thinking, ‘Are you f*%king nuts?’ In the big river, you have pieces of wood where the leash could really tangle.”
The leash debate is a heated one in the U.S. as well. Surfers have died, but not just from leash entanglement, which is at the heart of river surfing safety. In 2022, a 17-year-old died in Bend, Oregon after his foot became entrapped in the panels that create the town’s surf wave. Even though it was a foot entrapment, the City of Bend immediately instituted a no-leash rule at the park. Also in 2022, a woman drowned while paddleboarding the Colorado River when her leash apparently became entangled. In 2014, a woman died on Oregon’s Chetco River after her paddleboard leash became snagged on a submerged log. River surfers in the States constantly debate the practice of wearing a leash and authorities often warn people about using them in moving water.
Rohleder notes that flotation vests should be worn in serious river waves, and for those who are insistent on wearing leashes, there are alternative options to the ankle leash. You can wear a leash that wraps above the knee or around the waist – places where it can be easily accessed if it gets snagged. Also, there are magnetic leashes designed to disconnect when a certain amount of force is applied.
Rohleder views the Eisbach tragedy more as an inevitability of any action sport over the long term, and not evidence that surfing the Eisbach is overly dangerous.
“I don’t think the question is, how could this happen? The question is, why did it only happen now?” said Rohleder. “There are so many people surfing that river every single day. We’ve surfed that river since the mid-70s, and this is the first time someone’s died. I have surfed it for almost 40 years now and, yes, I had cuts and bruises, but never anything serious.”
“I think at some point we need to draw a line of, OK, something happened, and it’s a tragedy that a life is lost, but (it’s quite safe) if you compare it to how many people have surfed it for all these years,” added Rohleder. “That’s why, we as a community, and this involves hundreds if not thousands of people, are now signing a petition to open the wave again. There’s no reason to keep it closed.”
Rohleder acknowledges that despite the high improbability of death at the Eisbach, safety protocols can always be improved. He suggests adding extra tools alongside the Eisbach that aid in rescue efforts. Such measures are currently being discussed by local authorities and the local surf club.
He also cautions against surfing at night, especially for inexperienced surfers, which is now more common as the wave becomes more crowded. Even Rohleder, one of the most competent on the wave, admits that he surfs cautiously in his night sessions if he’s alone, and perhaps that played a role in the recent accident. “I’m pretty sure this would not have happened during the day,” he noted as more potential rescuers would have been present.
“If the board hits you in the head and you go unconscious for a second, you’ll be gone because there’s no light further down the river,” explained Rohleder. “It’s dark (downstream). It’s pretty sketchy.”
Still, the most fundamental preventative measure, according to Rohleder, lies within the surfers themselves.
“Know your level,” said Rohleder. “We have river waves here in Munich that are good for beginners and, obviously, a lot safer. There’s a wave where all the kids go. There’s another wave where people go to longboard. And if you want to surf the Eisbach, you need to know that it comes with a certain risk.”
“It’s super simple: You need to talk to the locals if you come to a new place,” he added. “What are the dangers? What do I need to look out for? It’s just the same as a reef break in the ocean: Where do you go in? Where do you go out? Where are the rocks? If you don’t ask and just go, then you do everything at your own risk.”
