If the dangerousness of surfing is no longer to be proven, former champions want to raise public awareness of an unknown problem: that of the neurological consequences of repeated shocks. the Los Angeles Times met former professional surfer Derek Dunfee.
“Derek Dunfee achieved his dream, and it nearly killed him.” At the age of 39, the surfer has known it all: passionate since childhood, he acquired the status of young talent before becoming a recognized figure in the discipline. In its pages, the Los Angeles Times paints the portrait of this lover of water sports, not to narrate his exploits but to document a little-known phenomenon: the profusion of head injuries caused by the waves.
During his younger years, Derek Dunfee was first frightened by the gigantism of the waves. He then fell in love with these rough waters and learned to enjoy the company of his fellow students. It must be said that sponsorship and trips to exotic destinations were part of the job, as were the prizes won during competitions: he thus pockets 15,000 dollars following having tamed a wave of 12 meters. “He loved it all so much that he didn’t pay attention to the head injuries.”
The first dates from 2007, on the waves of Mavericks. He was testing a lighter board and was thrown through the air as he fell off the ridge. He remembers that the water first felt like a brick when he hit the surface, and then the brick wall fell on him. His board came out in three pieces.”
“The monster closed in on him and buried him”
This shock is only the first of a long series. They cause noticeable symptoms over the years: nausea, headaches, dazzling, memory loss,
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The West Coast Giant. Created in 1881, it is the most left-wing of the country’s large-circulation daily newspapers and the leading specialist in social issues and the entertainment industry. It was not until the 1940s that it became the
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