Improved surf leash may save lives.
By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin

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The surf leash, as first designed some 25 years ago, had one end attached to the surfer's ankle and the other to the board, eliminating long, time-consuming swims to retrieve one's board after the inevitable wipe out. The cuff attached to a plastic cord was wrapped around the surfer's ankle and secured there with Velcro.

Innovations since then have been minor: a swivel connecting the cord to the cuff was added to prevent tangling, and a larger grabbing loop on the cuff made it easier to pull open the leash.

Craycroft's patented "2 Way Quick-Pin Leash System" uses the most efficient route for a quick release: straight up and vertical, by way of a two-finger-wide "D" ring that when pulled removes a steel pin instantly separating the cord from the velcro cuff.

"Nobody had thought about separating the cord from the cuff like this, straight up," said Scott, 44, a surfer for 34 years and Sunset Beach resident.

Why all the fuss over quick leash?

Every surfer has a snagged leash story be it around a reef, their own leg, or being pulled underwater by the surfboard. Snagging a leash can become a life and death struggle when you're underwater and you can't unwrap the leash to break free.

Craycroft's system eliminates wasting time fumbling for the traditional leash release. The pin on the "2 Way Quick-Pin Leash System" travels just 7/16s of an inch before separating.

After a wipeout, "instinctively you reach where the "D" ring is and the panic motion is to yank it," he said.

The pin is sewn tightly to the cuff so it isn't lost each time you pull the release.

The "2 Way Quick-Pin Leash System" - $21 to$28 for cuff and cord - is available at at Town & Country, Boardriders Club Hawaii, Barnfield Performance, Hawaii Surf & Sail, and Local Motion as well as on the neighbor islands.