Feature article

Stephen

Harry

Why is surfing good for your health

When you surf, you feel stronger, fitter and happier, and with a good training program you can make the most of these health benefits. Surfing is also a vigorous cardiovascular workout, helping to improve your overall health condition and protect your heart.

We should all be aiming for at least two hours and a half of aerobic activity every week, and surfing can contribute towards this goal. A well-designed surf training program will include workouts to strengthen all of the muscles you will need on your board, as well as those that you don't use as much when you're surfing. It will also include some form of cross-training that will ensure you are keeping your muscles balanced.

In addition to improving your overall health, surfing can also provide you with some more specific benefits. Surfing can help to improve your balance, flexibility and stamina, while the mental health benefits of surfing include feeling happier, more energetic, and more mindful and relaxed.

This is another way why surfing should be promoted in our society. Surfing will help improve the health and wellbeing of every person doesn’t matter what skill level.

Physical health – surfing

1. CARDIOVASCULAR, SYSTOLIC & DIASTOLIC, AND HEART HEALTH

Paddling out against waves is no easy feat, it requires a tremendous amount of physical fitness. Consistent paddling gets the cardiovascular muscle pumping hard whilst using the muscles in your shoulders, back, arms and buttocks.

2. LEG & CORE STRENGTH

Leg strength is another benefit of surfing, think of an hour session as the equivalent of a session of squat jumps/burpees. You are constantly changing levels from, chest pressed to the floor, to fully extended whilst in a standing squat.

3. IMPROVED SLEEP QUALITY

Being outside increases melatonin which, hand in hand with your circadian rhythm helps you maintain a healthy sleep pattern, eg, falling asleep faster and promoting a more restful sleep. Physical exercise also helps you sleep due to physical exhaustion, helping you fall asleep faster, for longer, and gets you into a deeper sleep as your body needs to repair the muscles worked from the day before.

4. OFFSET DISEASE

Physical exercise, distinctly an activity as fun as surfing, contributes to the offset of the negative effects of stress, which can lead to low mood, depression and anxiety.

5. SELF GRATIFICATION & BODY CONFIDENCE

It takes time, dedication and perseverance in order to advance when surfing. So once you commit and overcome this barrier, the rewards are immense. Proving to yourself that you can achieve your goals than once seemed unattainable give you a sense of enormous wellbeing.

Charlotte

ARE SHARK ATTACKS A THREAT TO THE BENEFITS OF SURFING IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Written by Charlotte Earnshaw

It has been well known that surfing has benefits and teaches us all about living well. From improving cardiovascular health, mental health, flexibility, confidence and vitamin E. However, there is no getting away from the fact that shark attacks are on the rise. Is the increasing number of shark attacks threatening surfing?

It is a well-known fact that WA has some of the best surfing in the world. WA is on the wish list for many surfers with some of the most consistent, high quality surf in the world. The WA coastline stretches over 12,000 kms opening up plenty of beaches for surfers of all levels. Three-time world champion Mick Fanning describes surfing at North Point Margaret River as one of his favorite waves on the planet.

The best thing about surfing in WA is you do not have to travel far out of Perth to get a great wave. Perth is lucky to have a strong daily sea breeze that makes Perth and the WA coastline especially to the North a popular tourist destination for surfing. The south of WA, Margaret River region is also a popular destination, hosting the Pro Surfing Championships ever year.

BENEFITS

Can surfers teach us about living well? Surfing is the continuous struggle with a powerful and unpredictable force of nature. It is this that makes surfing exciting. To quote Bethany Hamilton a pro surfer that lost her arm to a shark when she was only 14 years old.” My love for surfing helped me overcome my fear of sharks, I feel blessed that I was

able to heal from this experience.” “ I’m stoked I didn’t give up.” Surfers can teach us all how to live well, reduce stress and be resilient. Is it part of the satisfaction of surfing , falling off and getting back on your board repeatedly? To teach us that even if we get knocked down, we can always get back up again.

SHARK ATTACKS

In 2012, an article called ‘Perth Now’ Trevor Paddenburg noted, “If you surf be prepared to die” this exposes the dangers of our WA beaches. His article has shock/scare value. Paddenburg quotes Geoff Goulden a big wave surfing legend after rescuing a shark attack victim on holiday in Red Bluff, “ Surfing has become a very dangerous sport in WA if you surf, you have to be prepared for the possibility you’ll be attacked.” It has been well documented that shark attacks have increased over the years.

Statistics have shown that between December 15th, 2016 and April 25th, 2018 in Western Australia there has been 16 reported shark encounters; of those, there was:

- 1 fatality

- 10 injuries

- 5 uninjured

To compare this to the 195 deaths in just 2016 on Western Australia’s roads, shark attacks are the least of our worries.

In total Western Australia has the least shark attack prevalence by Australia states since 1988-2018. Statistics show that NSW and QLD have a total of 156 and 83 attacks while WA has had 81.

CULLING

Many people believe that shark culling is the way to go. White pointers should be removed from the endangered list. Taking some of these sharks out would mean surfing, swimming and diving would get a lot safer but the oceans that we love to surf, swim and have fun in won’t be the same without them. Statistics show sharks keep the animal food webs in balance by eating old and sick fish to control disease outbreaks in the ocean, by keeping the prey populations healthy to make sure the healthiest fish reproduce to greater numbers to keep the populations of these fish high and healthy and also the essential requirement for needing sharks in our oceans are that they keep the sea grass beds and other vital habitats healthy so we don't lose the beautiful oceans that we love. Some conservationists would agree but I truly think you have to look at the locations of the attacks and learn ways to keep the balance of our two worlds connected in harmony, either by shark nets and or special equipment to warn away the sharks. As the demand for surfing is high, people are going to keep surfing around WA’s striking and stunning coastline.

Shark attack reports are increasing. The way the media portrays these attacks has a huge impact on the attitudes and beliefs of people. These reports can influence audiences by fear. Some of the stories may not be accurate or false and this can alter a person’s knowledge on the subject. It’s important for the media to give different perspectives to give support for conservation of sharks.

To answer my own question is the increasing number of shark attacks in WA threatening surfing, I would say no. The risk of shark attack is low and if the surf is good every surfer would say that they are happy to take the risk.