It is with much sadness that we write this tribute to SMA member and surf doctor extraordinaire, Terry Farrell, DO, who died unexpectedly while mountain biking near his home in Maine on September 22, 2018 at age 61.
Terry was an emergency physician in York, ME and was an avid surfer, swimmer, and boater. Though he picked up the surfing later in life (mid-40’s), when the bug hit, it hit hard. Aside from surfing, Dr. Farrell also enjoyed the challenges presented by wilderness medicine and gained experience and skill in this area through his time in the Army and as an outdoorsman in Maine. He successfully wed these two interests by volunteering as medical staff at a number of surfing contests, first as Trestles, and then at Pipeline, gaining significant experience at those contests. He honed his expertise by attending surf-medicine conferences in Europe via the EASD, and in the US via the SMA. Via a fortuitous family connection, Terry then landed a plumb job as medical director for the WSL, travelling around the world with pro-tour – Dr. to the surf-stars. When the Big Wave Tour became formalized, he felt his skills would best be deployed in the high-risk arena of big-wave surfing. Terry enjoyed spending time with the hardy breed of surfers attracted to XXL surf and enjoyed the challenge of providing medical care in extreme environments such as Punta Lobos, Chile, Jaws, Nazare’, and Cloudbreak. He set the bar high with regards to providing medical back-up at surf contests. His organizational skills, professionalism, and medical knowledge greatly advanced the field of surfing medicine.
Dr. Farrell also had an academic interest in surfing injuries and began collecting data on the big-wave tour. See Dr Farrell’s article in the 2018 edition of SM“Big wave surfing: a physician’s perspective” [link to that 2018 article] for more details. He found that most big-wave injuries were from hydraulic forces as opposed to contact with the sea-floor or from surfboards, as is the case in smaller waves, and that a disproportionate number of injuries were to the leashed leg from high tension during a fall. He also was in the midst of studying the so-called “shaken-surfer” syndrome – where surfers exhibit concussion-like symptoms after big-wave wipeouts – before his untimely death.
Those of us who had the good fortune to spend time with Terry knew what a solid, enthusiastic guy he was, always a pleasure to be around. He was vigorous, a great family man, and despite the fact that he was a spitting image of Clint Eastwood, he was humble.
Clay Everline writes: “Terry was a good man who brought a lot of professionalism to the organized Surf Medicine. He often traveled out of his own pocket and was always a positive character to be around. It was a sincere pleasure to have several dinners with him in Maui, Portugal and even flew out to Help salvage a conference in San Clemente at Dr. Norm Vinn’s house. He was a great family man and he left us too soon.
From Spencer Chang: “Terry was an amazing man. I do miss him and think about him especially as we’re getting closer to Pipe.
Aloha”
Leland Dao writes: “Terry will be truly missed from the Pipe Masters Medical Team, we appreciate all of the contributions you made to the WSL and surfers everywhere. May the waves always be breaking for you, Aloha!”
Terry leaves behind his wife, Lisa, and a son and daughter. A paddle-out and bonfire in his honor was held shortly after his death at his home break, Gooch’s Beach in Kennebunk, ME.
