Surf waves, not peoples faces!

I'll start this post with a nice and easy picture to look at. Try and make up for whats coming next! I'm going to share a story about what happened to me almost 5 weeks ago. I was in San Diego hanging around my old stomping grounds visiting some friends. I went to surf around Encinitas at a break I have been at many times. It was crowded and maybe a bit over head. I waited half an hour for my first wave. I took off, so did the guy next to me but I was deeper. He saw me and went to kick out. But instead he busted a fat top turn, lost his board and the last thing I saw was it flying towards me. I felt a thunk and when I surfaced there was a giant lump protruding from my face. My inner angry Australian was unleashed and I started yelling at the guy. He paddled off without ever seeing if I needed help. Unfortunately this happened JUST after halloween. I have a pretty epic shiner and it still looks like someone punched me in the face. It was hurting and after the swelling went down there was a lump and an indented line left. I finally went to the doctor a few days ago and it turns out I broke my zygomatic arch. I know it can be a circus out there and we all want out waves but lets all try and be considerate of each others safety. If someone looks like they might need it, paddle over and offer them some help :)