Today I hit a puffer fish at about 25knots - little ba5tard threw me off the board. No damage to fin though. Select viper one, Puffer Fish nil.
Also just missed a turtle recently at speed by a b's dick - thank god.
Just want to know what other types of sea life has been road kill for us winsurferers?
I came within about 50 cm of chopping a snorkeller in half today 
Was belting along the estuary, went downwind of an anchored boat, by the time that it had registered there was something in the water I was about 3-4 metres away... I quickly took evasive action and just missed him. There wasn't much in it though, if I had been looking elsewhere then it would have been game over for the guy.
It took him a good second or two to realise that something had just screamed past, I was at least 20 metres away before he thrashed around and stood up.
Scary...
I never hit any wildlife sailing in Sydney Harbour. Probably as fished-out, toxic etc.
I thought I nearly hit a dolphin a couple of times in Port Stephens but they were just playing with me. My ex hit a Turtle in Port Stephens, sheared the fin right off.
I had a fish beach itself on my board while sailing, I'm sure that if it could talk it would have said WTF, it jumped off pretty quick.
Hit plenty of junk in the water in Sydney, particularly after a big storm. The worst was a running shoe, stopped me dead.
I saw a door jamb in the water the other day! One of the other guys hit a bit of wood with a nail it, left a 40cm gash in the bottom of the board. 
I missed a surfer by millimeters! But that not really marine life!
A small squid hoped on my board whilst i was doing a lesson!
Left ink everywhere!
Still pretty cool!
Following a mate last week, I yelled out to him and he looked around, just as he hit a bit of chop, splash....I had to dig the heels in and missed his mast by about 20-30cms! Guys on the beach thought that I'd ran over him.
Sailed past half a seal a couple of years back!
I went within a bees dick of hitting a black bull ray - about 6 foot across last week. Saw it at last moment and beared away. Would have been massive stack as that thing was huge. It was in a lake thats been closed for ten years, so needless to say I wasnt expecting any obstacles.
This time last year i almost kicked the bucket... when i hit one at speed; stopped me "dead".
(You can see said bucket at: windjunky.blogspot.com/2007/12/ab-hits-bucket.html )
Worst thing I hit was a dirty big sunfish in the Hobart race, does that count? It certainly stuffed out rudder AND our race.
Years ago, I ran over a poor little mutton bird that was low flying. He went straight under the board, out the back, swore at me and flew on.
Got within about 10m of a shark in Middle Harbour yesterday. It's an interesting feeling to have your 14 yo girl out sailing with a Noah, even a 4-6 footer.
There's lots of life on the harbour these days. The fairy penguins can go as far upstream as Drummoyne and dolphins cruise into Middle Harbour almost up to the Spit. I almost ran into several stingrays snorkelling around Clark Is and Neilsen Park over the Chrissy break.
Hit a massive bit of wood, appeared to be a telegraph pole or part of, in Botany bay - it was floating just below the water so I didn't see it and hit it a full speed. Catapulting as my board stopped dead in the water with a big bang was quite a shock, but it was a relief once I got back on board to find I'd hit something inanimate! This was in a southerly after a storm so I guess it had washed in from Kurnell from out to sea.
The fin stayed on but the fin box was no longer as firmly attached to the board as it should be!
2 years ago - Turtle at low speed - drjukka - 1 turtle 1
Guy fishing off back of boat 0 drjukka 1 (silly git)
3 years ago 5k offshore - turtle 1 drjukka 0 - long dredge home (fin sheared off)
Last year - Victoria Point Stingrays (x2) - 0 (jumped in the air) drjukkas 1
Last Year Dugong 1 drjukka 0 (very sore) (off Manly)
Today Dugong 1 drjukka 0 (very sore and possibly blown another boom)(off Manly)
Also close call with 2x 3-4ft shark., and another with larger beast (fin and threshing is pretty scary 2-4 m away)
- J
nearly ran over into a baby whale at currumbin as it was surfacing, then got sprayed by it's blow hole. stinky poopoos but not as bad as cat breath
I ran over a seagull with me boat. there was a big mob of em in the water fighting over something and i ran square over em all. one came out from behind then flew off!
I hit craypot lines all the time.
and i have hit a few eaglerays out in the estuary.
It hit me ,i hit it ....flying fish .....it went berko between the mast foot and foot straps for what seemed a very long time.
I hit an anchor line at VP couple of weeks ago, didn't register in time as it was a long way in front of the boat and it was just floating, stupidly thought that as the fin is raked a bit it would glide over it - it didn't, no damage to the board, the golf ball lump on leg slowly went down and the bruising which covered most of my shin has nearly vanished
Had a seagul get caught in the front of the rangie up at Noosa North Shore a few years ago - it took off and flew down low in front of the car but didn't come out the other side or behind as far as I could tell. Stopped had a look and it was caught between the steering protector and some other bit - it survived althought it wobbled down the beach a bit first
