DROWNING – what to do

How many of us would know where to begin if we were suddenly confronted with a drowned surfer? Surely we all should? The aim of this article is to give you a sound starting point from which to make a positive difference. Not to replace official training which is something all surfers should be considering. […]

SURFER’S EAR

There are only two truly distinguishable types of surfers. Those who wear earplugs and those who don’t. Those of us who don’t wear ear plugs view them with feelings of curiosity, suspicion and occasionally guilt. Guilt that perhaps we should be wearing them. Most of us don’t give earplugs any further consideration after that. […]

Mickey Smith Interview

“The lip landed on my back. I have never been so violated by a wave before or since. It was wild and so very humbling.” Mickey Smith’s CV is long and distinguished. Cornish waterman, journeyman, big wave surfer, professional musician, filmer and photographer. Mickey shares his unique story of when he smashed his arm surfing […]

SURFER’S EYE

Surfer’s eyes get a battering from the sun, wind, sea, salt and sand. Its small wonder then that some surfers suffer from a condition known as ‘Surfer’s eye’. Its not exclusive to surfers however, and is actually the oldest known eye conditions known as Pterygium. What Is it? The eye has a layer of tissue […]

Lewy Finnegan Interview

” I tried to pull through the back of a big closeout. The backwash off the rocks surged me into the sand head first. I heard a pretty scary crunch in the back of my neck.” – – Lewy Finnegan, one of Australia’s hottest groms and tipped as a future World Champion, answers a few questions […]

SHOULDER DISLOCATION

The shoulder is the most commonly injured joint in surfing with dislocations and tears. You can understand why. With all that arm paddling and being bundled when we inevitably stack it, this ‘ball and socket’ joint is seriously working hard. – Shoulder dislocations and injuries can, at best, keep you out of the water for […]

CHILL OUT

HYPOTHERMIA from surfing in cold water should not be dismissed as something that kills the weak and niave. Hypothermia has the potential to catch us all off guard at some point, no matter how experienced we think we are. It kills. How it kills depends on the situation. Most of us can hopefully spot when […]

SHARK ATTACK

A random splash or a darting shadow. The slightest of triggers can turn a fun surf into one that’s at risk of being ruined by a background level of anxiety and fear. Shark attacks are horrible, there’s no getting away from it. They’re terrifying in their intensity, merciless, bloody and a horrific emotional experience for […]

SURFER’S NIPPLE

BREAST & NIPPLE PAIN It seems that having breasts isn’t always as great as some guys imagine! Painful breasts & Nipples is something that plagues a surprising number of women after surfing. It’s actually not that uncommon for women (and some men) to suffer from breast and nipple pain after surfing. It’s so common in […]

REEF CUTS

CORAL CUTS Kissing the reef. Lets be honest. Coral cuts can be really cool, but only when the pains gone and the cut’s heeled up. A badge of honor. Reef cuts have the potential to ruin your trip, and if they’re not dealt with properly, can kill you. Not so cool. Reefs include coral, all […]

WEEVER FISH

THE STEALTHY ASSASSINS OF THE EAST ATLANTIC – That’s Weever. Not Weaver. Some people really seem to care about this, but fair play, it’s the fish, not the bird. – Now the UK may not have bacterial infested coral, sea urchins, hospitalising jelly fish, Bull sharks, White Pointers or generalised tropical water badness, but European waters are […]

Ben Player Interview

“I asked the Doctor in Australia what precautions I could take. She said ‘don’t go to tropical countries’. That’s a bit hard when all of my favourite waves are in tropical places.” Ben Player 2X World Champion Bodyboarder & all round nice guy talks of his brush with Dengue Fever. What’s Your Favourite Wave At […]

PAIN IN THE NECK..

Injuries to your spine are serious. Paralysis & death is not uncommon after SPINAL INJURIES. I’m sticking my own neck out writing this! The purpose of this article, & the information in it, is to get more people safely to a hospital. Apply common sense and don’t take chances. Not all spine injuries are dangerous, […]

FEVER PITCH

TROPICAL FEVER Imagine if sharks killed one million people every year. You would seriously think twice about paddling out at any location where there were reports of regular fatalities, and if you did still go you’d be likely to change your behavior. Why is it then, that when Mozzies are responsible for tropical fevers that […]

Alan Stokes Interview

“The bottom of the wave dropped out over a shallow ledge. I got compressed by the lip into my board and my knee just popped and gave way.” Alan Stokes 2X UK Pro Surf Champion talks of his horrible knee injury that threatened his hobby, career and mental health. – – What’s your favourite wave […]

MENTAL DENTAL

TOOTHACHE, gum disease and teeth damage are a pain on a surf trip. Literally. Dental problems such as toothache are very unlikely to kill you, although the pain can be so severe, it may seem that way at the time. – DIFFERENT TYPES OF TOOTHACHE Hurts all the time? The toothache wakes you up at […]

FEELING THE BURN

SUN BURN It hurts, looks rubbish and is a burning reminder of the real risk of skin cancer all of us face from the sun. Skin cancer kills more surfers than drowning. Maybe we should be worrying more about the UVA & UVB properties of our creams, than how long we can hold our breath.. […]

KNOCK OUT

ADULT HEAD INJURY That moment when you realize that you’re not invincible as you get smacked in the head, really hard, and the lights go out. What do you do when you’ve hit your head? I almost decided not to write an article on head injuries because of how serious they are. It was the […]

ANTIBACTERIAL DRUGS

ANTIBIOTICS They can be your silver bullet! I always take travel medicine, particularly anti-biotics with me on surf trips. I know which I’ve had before however and that I’m not allergic to them. If you don’t, be careful. Some people can have nasty reactions to them so be careful. Don’t buy drugs over the counter […]

THE RUNS

TRAVELLERS DIARRHOEA Avoiding dirty local water by not having ice or salad while travelling. Taking daily ‘friendly bacteria’ tablets to try and out compete the nasty ones to prevent Bali belly. Avoiding local food (badly cooked chicken, reheated rice, food with raw eggs & ice-cream) and washing my hands before eating anything.. I’ve tried it […]

LITTLE URCHIN

SEA URCHIN INJURIES Sea Urchins are found in oceans all around the world. they sting and can be your nemesis. Sea Urchins are the reason why a lot us wear reef boots to protect our feet. Floundering (insert trying to look like a pro here!) on the reef trying to get in or out of […]

ALL THE GEAR..

SURF TRIP MEDICAL KIT LIST If you haven’t got anything you can’t do anything. Only take what you’re happy using and be careful taking medications with you that you’ve never tried before. Dangerous reactions to antibiotics aren’t that uncommon. An injury on a surf trip in Europe is a different kind of gravy to an […]

WITNESS THE SICKNESS

SEA SICKNESS Chunda. Blow chunks. Spew. Sea soup. Chuck-up. Vomit. Barf. Wretch. Hurl. Technicolour yawn. Puke. Losing lunch. Tossing cookies. Yacking. Ralfing. Heave. Doesn’t mater how you say it. Sea sickness is really grim once it gets going and you know that you’re miles from land. It’s embarrassing too. Everyone knows that there’s a direct […]

CUT UP

WOUND MANAGEMENT Licking your wounds is something we’ve all learned to do since we’ve been old enough to fall over. It seems the fun police are winning in the UK, with ‘Health and Safety’ being used as their motto. Having said that, getting on a late night bus that’s twice your age, being driven (fast!) […]

EAR INFECTION

Surfing makes you more likely than the next person to get an ear infection. Having surfers ear or perforating your ear drum whilst surfing makes it even more likely. Whilst very rarely dangerous, they can be very painful, disorientating and worse of all keep you out the water. There are simple preventative measures you […]