A panel of doctors recently made a fascinating medical breakthrough (queue the sarcasm).

They agreed that surfing under the influence of drugs or alcohol are two of the prime dangers facing surfers.

Other factors discovered during Thursday’s 56th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Seattle included wave height, board length and interactions among surfers.

Pausing for a moment, it’s safe to say that doing anything under the influence of mind-altering drugs or alcohol is dangerous and it’s laughable to think it took an actual study by these sports medicine specialists to come to this conclusion.

According to James MacDonald, M.D., lead author of the surfing study, surfing’s “cool factor” also influences a surfer’s choice of sun protection, stating surfers purposely shun the most effective sunblocks containing zinc oxide and titanium dioxide and risk skin cancer from exposure to ultraviolet light.

MacDonald even discovered that surfers wearing wetsuits often exhibit a telltale sunburn pattern – what he calls “the surfer’s version of a farmer tan.”

The study also found surfers are territorial and occasionally fight to protect their surf break when it becomes crowded with novices and out-of-towners.

“I was surprised at how much violence there can be in surfing culture,” MacDonald says of his findings. “Some of the injuries I’ve seen have nothing to do with surfing – they’re fisticuffs.”

I’ll pause to back my fellow surfers on this one because surfers aren’t the only ones who dislike crowds – nobody enjoys a crowd – so it’s no surprise surfers sometimes get in fights when hordes of people clog the line up, but I digress.

MacDonald even urges physicians new to treating surfers to keep in mind it’s common to surf water ski or conduct other boating sports under the influence of alcohol, marijuana or other drugs, but when the surfer is high, so is the risk of drowning.

“Whatever the risk or injury,” MacDonald continues, “surfers feel compelled to get back to the sport and often ask me to close lacerations with a liquid adhesive rather than sutures because they don’t care what kind of a scar they have – they just want to get back into the water.”

After reading this survey, it’s easy to laugh at it’s findings, but it perpetuates the typical surfer stereotypes we will probably always face.

By reading the survey, one can speculate that all surfers smoke pot or drink beer before paddling out at their local break intending to beat up all the kooks or out-of-towners, then go to the doctor with an injury suffered in the fight only to tell the doctor not to use sutures because it will keep them out of the water, thus cramping their crazy, yet cool, lifestyle.

In defense of my surfer brethren, I’d like to say that surfers are some of the nicest and most down to earth people around, sure there are a few bad apples, but isn’t that the case with the rest of society, too?

Visit www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151697.php to read more about this study.

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PassmoreLab’s “Physics of Surfing” Showcases the Raw Power of the Pacific

San Diego-based multi-media production studio PassmoreLab, in conjunction with on-location entertainment company Lucid Dreams 3D, has begun principal photography on a new educational 3D surfing film called Physics of Surfing, available to science centers and museums later this year.

It’s science meets surfing in this truly exceptional educational project. Shown in the crystal clear beauty of high-definition 3D, audiences everywhere will be thrilled and amazed as they follow two professional female surfers to gorgeous locations around the world – including Hawaii’s breathtaking North Shore and renowned surf spots along the California coast – exploring surfing’s deep influence on modern culture while experiencing Mother Nature’s magificent power in the creation of our ocean’s waves.

Shot using PassmoreLab’s proprietary 3D rigs, stereosynthesis conversion, and RED cameras in spectacular digital high definition, Physics of Surfing is an exciting addition to the rich history of surf cinema. Gorgeous scenery and incredible surfing action are the orders of the day as the surfers’ grace and athleticism illustrate principles of physics, culture and history.

“The digital 3D science adventure is something we take seriously and do quite well,” said Greg Passmore, President of PassmoreLab. “On this film, the audience will be transfixed in a completely immersive 3D surfing experience, and learn a thing or two along the way.”

Pro surfers Julie Cox and Kyla Langen, the two featured surfers in the film, are both longtime surfing competitors and aficionados. Cox, a talented longboarder who also works for the California Surf Museum, has competed in contests around the globe – winning California coalition events and consistently placing in the top 10 of international events held in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. On the other hand, Langen’s radical, aggressive style is pure excitement. She’s surfed professionally in over twenty countries and works with the Cousteau Foundation’s CELP program as a youth instructor. Both women are also surf coaches and share an intense affection for the sea.

“Julie’s lyrical, flowing surf style is a joy to behold. Her empathy for the ocean is truly inspiring,” said Executive Producer James Humann of Lucid Dreams 3D. “While Kyla’s style is like listening to rock ‘n’ roll – daring, brash, reckless – and her love of the ocean is completely infectious.”

Unlike other surfing documentaries, Physics of Surfing is a 35-minute educational film that uncovers the physical science of ocean waves and the art of surfing. In this captivating presentation, the filmmakers explore how energy moves through water, building and combining its force, traveling thousands of miles over the course of weeks until the ocean floor underneath disrupts the wave’s formation and causes it to pitch up and collapse. The film also investigates the science behind various surfing styles and how surfers instinctively address such notions of gravity and buoyancy while using the energy of motion to ride waves.

Further, the film looks at how the modern technology of surfboard design affects a board’s performance on the wave. Audiences will experience the exhilaration of surfing while learning how surfers play with nature’s purest form of energy and power.

The musical legacy of surfing is a rich and exciting element of surf culture and Physics of Surfing honors this with a truly inspired soundtrack. Produced by Dusty Watson, it includes tracks from instrumental surf-rock mainstays Slacktone and Southern California’s legendary skate-punk band Agent Orange (Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4). Since the late 70s, Agent Orange has had an enormous influence on the skate-punk/surf-rock scene and Slacktone are widely regarded as the greatest exponents of the genre. Rounding out the musical lineup is punk supergroup Osaka Popstar – the standard bearers of old-school punk in the 21st century – featuring members of the Ramones, the Misfits, and Black Flag.

Physics of Surfing, a beautiful, high definition 3D celebration of surf, science, and music, will be available for distribution to science centers and museums everywhere by December 2009.

About PassmoreLab
PassmoreLab is a San Diego-based multi-media production studio that specializes in 3D production and 2D to 3D content conversion. The studio custom-designs and builds its own RED camera 3D rigs for both conventional and rugged film productions, shooting everything from feature films, television and science documentaries, to underwater diving, extreme sports and cave exploration.

State-of-the-art facilities include a full 3D production studio, video/film post-production, optical development lab, and a software development environment. Production includes 2D, 3D, high dynamic range time lapse, stereoscopic microscopy and cutting-edge simulation technologies for real-time SFX. PassmoreLab’s proprietary technology for 2D to 3D video and film conversion is unmatched in the industry, in both turnaround times and conversion costs.

PassmoreLab has additional offices in Russia and the Philippines. For more information, visit www.passmorelab.com.

About Lucid Dreams3D
LD3D was formed to express 3D technology and art for on-location entertainment, music videos, cinema and marketing/advertising. Founder James Humann, an intellectual property lawyer, formerly served as Senior Director of Business Affairs at Hard Rock International. Because of its combination of art, science and law, LD3D helps clients develop technology, produce content and protect assets. For more information, visit www.luciddreams3d.com.

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Save The Waves announces the official formation of the World Surfing Reserves Vision Council and Selection Committee for 2009. The Vision Council will provide high-level guidance and oversight for the new program, which aims to proactively designate, enshrine and preserve outstanding surfing waves, surf zones and their surrounding environments. The Selection Committee will be charged with paring down nominated candidates from around the world, and creating the initial list of potential World Surfing Reserves sites.

The WSR Vision Council includes surfing and environmental visionaries such as International Surfing Association president Fernando Aguerre, former ASP president Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew, big wave champion Greg Long, environmental attorney and activist Mark Massara, Mavericks pioneer and contest director Jeff Clark, Surfrider executive director Jim Moriarty, World Championship Tour Top 44 surfer Tiago Pires, and National Surfing Reserves Australia co-founders Prof. Andy Short and Brad Farmer (for a complete list see below).

“Many of surfing’s greatest thinkers are on board with the World Surfing Reserves program, and want to see these internationally recognized and cherished coastal surfing areas enshrined and protected,” said Save The Waves executive director Dean LaTourrette. “It’s an honor to work with such an esteemed group of individuals.”

The World Surfing Reserves program was launched at the Value of Waves Roundtable on December 5th, 2008, in Half Moon Bay, California. The Roundtable brought together an international group of surfers, industry leaders, environmentalists and journalists to approve and set forth a blueprint for the WSR program.

The WSR program will have three working bodies: the Vision Council, the Selection Committee and the Field Team. All three bodies will be working in different functions to select and enshrine the yearly wave nominations submitted by the International Surfing Association recognized National Governing Bodies as well as other nationally recognized environmental entities.

Vision Council: Fernando Aguerre, Will Henry, Jim Moriarty, Tony Butt, Terry Gibson, Len Materman, Miles Walsh, Wallace J. Nichols, Steve Hawk, Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew, Tiago Pires, Greg Long, Mark Massara, Chris LaFrankie, Chad Nelsen, Neil Lazarow, Brad Farmer, Jeff Clark, Manolo Lozano, Juca De Barros, Drew Kampion, Professor Andy Short, Professor Ben Finney.

Selection Committee: Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew, Tiago Pires, Greg Long, Mark Massara, Jeff Clark, Steve Hawk, Juca De Barros, João De Macedo, Dean LaTourrette, Drew Kampion, Professor Andy Short.

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