Storm Surfing Fatalities

Abstract

Objectives: Tropical storms and hurricanes often produce ocean wave conditions that attract surfers. The risk for serious injury or death from "storm surfing" has not yet been described in the medical literature. This study aimed to quantify deaths attributable to storm surfing along the coasts of North America and the Caribbean islands.Methods: This was a retrospective review of cases of surfing-related fatalities reported in the tropical cyclone reports of the National Hurricane Center from 1995 to 2020. Media reports were used to identify additional cases and, when available, to provide supplemental demographic and geographical information.Results: There have been 27 reported storm surfing deaths during this time period. Among those for whom demographic data were available, all of the decedents were male and three were children younger than 18 years old. All but three of the deaths occurred among those surfing Atlantic storms, and one-third of the fatal injuries occurred off the coast of Florida. Eight deaths occurred while surf conditions were affected by tropical storms that did not reach hurricane status.Conclusions: Both tropical storms and hurricanes produce dangerous surf conditions that have resulted in fatal injuries among surfers during the past 25 years.

The epidemiology, risk factors and impact of exposure on unintentional surfer and bodyboarder deaths

“…While this study explored impacts of rip currents and tide states, further research is required to gather and incorporate more comprehensive data on other environmental conditions. This includes data on swell size, swell period and direction, wind and temperature data, conditions impacting visibility and the presence of dangerous surf warnings [ 7 ]. Data regarding distance from the shore, including proximity to the beach and therefore emergency medical service (EMS) intervention, are also helpful to explore factors impacting on surfing and bodyboard-related mortality.…”

“…Surfing and bodyboarding (herein referred to as 'surfing' unless otherwise noted) are predominantly coastal sports due to the requirement of waves, but do occur at other locations such as standing waves in rivers and increasingly in artificial surf parks where waves are generated in a controlled environment. Surfing is considered relatively safe when compared to other aquatic sports [4,5], but still involves the potential for serious injury or death and has been identified as a high-risk activity [6,7]. Severe surfing injuries are relatively rare [5], with the majority of surfing-related hospitalizations due to direct trauma (e.g., head injuries, cervical spine fractures, other spinal cord injuries), lacerations and drowning [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15], with a range of morbidity outcomes.…”