Luke Morris

Surfing is a life-changing sport. The exhilarating rush and the peace while waiting for a wave benefit our mental and physical health. But surfing is not without its tragedies. Like horse riding, skiing, mountaineering, and racing, there are fatalities. Famous surfing accidents that changed the sport forever include Mark Food, Andy Irons, Bethany Hamilton, and Sion Milosky. These athletes have inspired many. But their tragic accidents have also caused the surfing community to find methods to mitigate risk, such as having jet ski water safety crews. Surfing is not as deadly as many headlines suggest. Attempts at gathering data have led to surf fatalities stats of .05 per 1 million surfer deaths per year, .28 per 100,000 for male crude surf beach drowning rate, and 2.36 per 100,000 for international tourists. Nonetheless, lives are claims claimed, even of the most talented and skilled, and each has a story. The Tragic Stories Of Surfers Who Pushed The Limits Surfing is a thrilling and challenging sport that comes with inherent risks. Over the years, many surfers have pushed the limits of what’s possible, and as a result, some have suffered from tragic accidents. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the most famous surfing accidents that have changed the sport forever. The Tragic Story Of Mark Foo Mark Foo redefined what was possible in big wave surfing. Tragically, he lost his life at Mavericks in Northern California after taking on a seemingly unremarkable wave. But surfing at Mavericks comes with hidden risks. We’ll look at Mark Foo’s life, death, and why Mavericks has unique dangers. Mark Foo Was Prepared To Pay The Ultimate Price “To get the ultimate thrill,” Foo often said, “you have to be willing to pay the ultimate price.” Foo knew how to push the sport to the ultimate thrill. In 1985, he was reported to attempt a wave over 60 feet, unheard of at that point in the sport. Foo didn’t succeed and ended up being rescued by helicopter. But the attempt raised his profile amongst the surfing community and made people rethink what was possible. Not bad for a man who wasn’t taught how to swim until he was ten. December 23, 1994: Mark Foo’s Last Wave Mark Foo was addicted to big waves. The right kind would have him dropping everything to surf the big one. Thus, on December 22, 1994, he caught a red-eye after hearing that an Alaskan cold front was producing massive ways in Half Moon Bay in Northern California. The spot was known as Mavericks, where waves break off Pillar Point. But when he arrived, the water had changed. Gone were the promised 50-footers. Instead, Mavericks was offering waves of 15-35 feet. Far from small, but not what Foo hoped. Nonetheless, he was there, and so were many big names, such as Brock Little, Mark “Doc” Renneker, Mike Parsons, and Ken Bradshaw. Besides, surfing Mavericks was a challenge, regardless of wave height. Mavericks is infamous for their “mean” waves, and they’re not just referring to the sharks. The waves displace water fast and hard. “They say if you fall in those waves,” Trent Freitas told The New York Times, “The intensity of it will rip your wet suit off and turn it inside out.” Thus, the wave that claimed Foo’s life on December 23rd around 11:20 am was not reported to be particularly big, with estimates ranging as low as 15 feet to as high as 30. In filmed footage, he can be seen in the water under a gorgeous blue and sunny sky right before he catches his second wave for the day. Nothing initially looked off as Foo’s bright yellow board dropped in and hopped to his feet. But as he came down the wall, his arms flew up. It seemed like he may have secured his balance for a moment, but then he came off, belly-flopping into the water. That’s the last he was seen alive. His body wouldn’t be found until 90 minutes later. What Caused Mark Foo’s Death? Blame and theories have followed since the death of Mark Foo. For starters, nobody noticed his absence for about an hour until part of his board was spotted near the line-up. However, times were different; jet ski rescue crews were yet to be introduced, and it was crowded. Nor would it have occurred to him or any surfer back then to strap on a floatation vest, now typical attire at Mavericks. Some speculated he hit his head. But while the coroner’s report doesn’t dispute the head trauma, it suggested Foo may have drowned before his head was hit. Others blame his death on exhaustion from taking the red eye. But the most popular theory suggests that his leash became tangled in the rocks. It was still attached to him and the tail fragment of his board when his body was found. What can’t be disputed is the impact Foo’s death had on the community. Over 700 people gathered at Foo’s beloved surfing spot in Waimea Bay, Hawaii, on December 30th. Around 150 surfers paddled out, and his ashes were given to the sea by Dennis Pang, a childhood friend. The Death Of Andy Irons Andy Irons was one of Kelly Slater’s greatest rivals. But his life was tragically cut short. We’ll look at his remarkable career and the circumstances that led to his early death. Fame Took Time To Find Andy Irons “He gave me such a gift,” Kelly Slater said of Andy Irons in an outtake of “Kissed By God. “He drew that desire out of me to be great again,” he reflected. “Andy revived some demon inside of me that needed to figure himself out.” But Andy Irons didn’t initially catch much notice by the surfing elite. He grew up hitting the waves with his younger brother Bruce in Hanalei Bay on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. His future in surfing didn’t look that promising, given he quit for a year after … Read more

Surfing has had a VW bus, long hair, music, and bong aesthetic that has tied it with hippie culture since the 60s. But is that cultural intertwine real, or more just a part of fabled folklore? Surfing and hippie culture come from different roots. However, an overlap was deeply established in the late 60s and early 70s. Over the years, hippie culture has faded, and the perception of surfing has changed in modern times. Thus, the relationship between the two is no longer as close. Surfing has gone mainstream, and the revival of hippie culture went hipster, which is a whole different vibe. But there are still some true hippies to be found across the globe, just like there are surfers who still embodied that laidback, carefree, and footloose vibe. Thus, you can still find, on occasion, a surfer that is a true hippie. Are Surfers Considered Hippies? Surfers and hippies have been intertwined since the 1960s counterculture movement. However, a surfer is not necessarily a hippie (especially these days), and hippies do not necessarily surf. But the roots of surfing are not found within white culture, but Polynesian, which colonists viewed as low brow as opposed to “respectable” pastimes, such as cricket and, later, baseball. Surfing Reintroduced To Sell Land As Hawaii became increasingly colonized, surfing faded. But in 1907, land developers brought George Freeth, a Hawaiian who was a quarter Indigenous Polynesian, into California to give surfing demonstrations. The move was not to be “counterculture” but to make coastal land “cool” and sellable. Thus, surfing was introduced to mainland America for capitalism, not counterculture Surfing Didn’t Fit With Colonist And Puritanical Values Despite surfing’s reintroduction being for reasons at odds with counterculture, the sport did not gel with “proper” sports. Rather than just pitching up to the field to play ball, surfing depended on the waves. You had to be patient and work with what the sea gave you, an attitude completely at odds with the colonialism of attitude of making everything bend to the “master’s will.” In addition, the need for surfers to wait for the right wave looked lazy (yes, we know surfing is anything but). Sports were about go-go-go, and surfers were an affront, bobbing up and down, seemingly doing nothing. It grated the puritanical idea of work and discipline. Surfing Lifestyle Gelled With The Hippies Fast forward to the late 60s and early 70s, the countercultural movement was rising, anti-war feelings were high, and broken boys were returning from war needing support that society did not know how to provide. Self-medication (weed) became popular, and the need to feel unconstrained was common. Meanwhile, Hollywood picked up the vibe and used surfing to symbolize the easygoing outsider in movies such as Endless Summer. The reframing appealed to those with hippie ideals. Pot, relaxation, and surrendering to nature is the type of sport the peace and love movement could get behind. Thus, the hippie and suffering cultures blended into a Venn diagram. Not all surfers were hippies, and not all hippies had any desire to surf. But the two cultures had enough in common where there was plenty of overlap.  Surfing Starts Becoming Commercialized Modern surfers are no longer as easily identified as hippies or laid back. Instead, the sport has become mainstream, attracting those who do not necessarily have any connections with a counterculture movement. There are positives and negatives to its widening appeal. In addition, modern tech has made the weather patterns and tides far more predictable, so training has less of a laid-back, easygoing vibe. Sponsorships and funding have also made the professional side more ligament and respectable in the greater sporting sphere. This brings with it a commercialized and more capitalistic attitude. But on the positive, surfing is much more inclusive and diverse in gender, class, and race. Also, those who might otherwise not previously be aware are finding a connection to the sea and beaches and caring about preservation and cleaning it up. Thus, like the enduring hippies, surfing persists in holding on to an intangible spirit that the changes have yet to erase. Hippie Surf Towns Jeffrey’s Bay in South Africa used to be a surfer-hippie paradise. But while the surfing remains excellent and the town picturesque, the hippie vibe has decidedly veered yuppie. But we’ve found a few surf towns still embracing that relaxed hippie groove. Byron Bay, Australia If you haven’t heard of Byron Bay, you might have to return your surfboard (sorry, but we didn’t make the rules). Also, haven’t you seen Netflix’s Byron Baes? (Actually, maybe give it a miss.) Nonetheless, this Australian town is known for three types of people: Surfers Hippies (who are sometimes also surfers) Backpackers (who also sometimes surf and might be hippies) The best time to hit the waves is June-August (that’s winter for you Northern Hemisphere folks). But honestly, like the hippies, there are waves all year long. Even the sharks agree that the surfing is epic. (Don’t worry, some of the sharks are hippies too. Maybe.) Encinitas, California Encinitas, California, is often blown past as people head to San Diego. But there are gorgeous beaches with excellent surfing conditions for anyone willing to slow down and stop by. The area still has that laid-back, chilled, Southern California vibe that has faded since the heyday of The Beach Boys. Alas, the gem of a place has been discovered, and the cost of living has sky rocked. Nonetheless, artists’ havens and the hippie vibe persist. Tucked away are homes that would make HOAs faint, and everyone else grins at the creativity and ingenuity of the quirky and colorful decors. Florianópolis, Brazil Florianópolis, Brazil, is on the west coast of Santa Catarina Island, which sits on the country’s southern end. Being surrounded by water means there are beaches galore, and while it remains popular, it doesn’t have the crush of crowds found in Rio. The suffering is great, especially in the winter, with spots perfect for each skill level. Floripa, as … Read more