As we pull together this Summer 2018 issue of Surfing Medicine the common theme that emerges from the great blue abyss is death. Try as we may to avert our gaze, there seems to be no avoiding it. “No other option” is a beautifully rendered, heartfelt, true story about a near-death surfing experience in Mexico which permanently altered the authors life trajectory, prompting him to become a physician. The story twists and turns, but ultimately (spoiler alert!) has a happy ending. Read it and weep. The case report “63-year-old experienced surfer found down” – does not end so well. But we hear that his family took solace in the fact that he died doing what he loved most …This is fittingly followed by an article from SMA’s very own palliative care physician Deric Weiss, who explains the history behind the traditional paddle-out ceremony where ashes are spread for surfers no longer in the lineup. Next, we learn about injuries among those death-defying surfers who dare to paddle into the biggest waves on the planet. Big-wave tour physician Terry Farrell shares some lessons-learned and preliminary data in his article “Big Wave tour: a physician’s perspective”.
On the brighter side “What ever happened to Zika?” describes the near-disappearance of an infection that many (for right or for wrong) were deathly afraid of. It seems so 2016, but remember the panic surrounding the Zika epidemic that prompted some athletes and spectators to avoid the Rio Olympic Games? Well, the good news is that not a single case of zika virus disease was reported in Rio during the Olympics, and the virus has largely fizzled out. Read the article to find out why.
With Much Aloha, (and sorry for being so morbid)
Andrew Nathanson, MD
La Mort by Henri Bonnart III