Rejoice In Public.

Those lit candles worked! They really worked! In a miraculous turn, the World Surf League’s CEO Erik Logan has reemerged after two agonizing days of absence on the heels of suffering a life-threatening reef injury in Tahiti. In a video, posted directly to social media, Logan captured his lightly scraped right foot before turning the camera toward WSL deputy commissioner Renato Hickel who stoically declared that it was time to apply “lemon, lime” to the wounds in an emergency procedure.

Head judge Pritamo Ahrendt stood by, equally grave, providing some sort of nursing advice.

The public began to panic, in Logan’s absence, then move through the stages of grief, wondering if the Oklahoma native had succumbed to staph infection and/or if Hickel was qualified to be practicing triage, Ahrendt certified to assist.

But here we are exalting.

In the latest image (top), Logan can be seen flanked by the just-wrapped Outerknown Pro’s victors and runners-up. He is smiling but, on closer examination, his eyes are extremely red-rimmed, as if recently weeping, and his injured paw heavily bandaged, shrouded in a reef booty.

Brave.

Extremely brave and celebrations are certain to be held across the surfing world.

Many oversized leis.

RIP.

Rejoice in Public.

Locals only!

The ink is not yet dry on the the banner “Angriest Man in Surfing” but Malibu’s Andy Lyons, who earned the title by smashing a rock into a yellow alternative crafted surfboard then paddling out beyond the pier, may have competition down the coast in tony La Jolla.

Local news is reporting that police in the area have stepped up surveillance around Windansea after a spike in wantonly violent surf altercations in the water and on shore.

Per La Jolla Light:

The afternoon of Aug. 13, a male surfer and some others in the water got into an argument that led to “throwing some punches” and the surfer being held underwater for “what he estimated was about 30 seconds,” according to SDPD Officer Brian Avera, who oversees investigations in the department’s Northern Division, which includes La Jolla. The surfer did not give a reason for the argument in his statement to police.

“It was a very dangerous situation,” Avera said. “If anyone has been taken underwater and thought they were going to die, that is going to get our attention.”

There have been problems at Windansea for years, “almost to the point that it is a generational issue,” Avera said. But this was the first major altercation to be reported to the Police Department, he said.

“In general, we have had fights in the area … that are more of a territory thing; people feel it is their area to surf,” Avera said. “So we are certainly going to be vigilant and make sure we are allocating our resources throughout La Jolla to make sure it stays safe. We are dedicating more personnel, seven days a week, even overtime, to the area.”

In the Malibu case, the man who owned the alternative craft surfboard (wrongly identified as a “boy” early on), refused to go to the police, earning Lyons’ respect.

The underwater surfer, apparently, chose to involve law enforcement and may gain appreciation from onetime Stab editor Ashton Goggans.

Have you views, in any case, evolved as they relate to surf violence or are you still a grumpy local?

More as the story develops.

The stages of grief.

It has now been two full days since the World Surf League CEO was last seen. Erik Logan, in Tahiti for the Outerknown Tahiti Pro, had seemed in high spirits during the almost ten-day event run, taking fans on behind-the-scenes tours of the broadcast operation, donning the world’s largest lei before disaster struck.

At some point in the evening of August 21, Logan bonked his foot on the reef scraping some skin off its top. He could have been piloting a SUP, may have been surfing, might have been going for a snorkel to see the little fishies but was immediately taken to World Surf League deputy commissioner Renato Hickel and head judge Pritamo Ahrendt.

As the camera rolls, panning from Logan’s injured paw to Hickel’s grave face as he says, “We have Erik with his first Tahiti tattoo and he already poured some alcohol on it but we gotta go lemon, lime.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Erik Logan (@elo_eriklogan)

The lemon or lime was applied as Logan squirmed, letting out whelps and spasms. Ahrendt, standing to the side and possibly not as concerned as he should have been for, as all surfers know, reef scrapes can become infected with staph and turn life and/or limb-threatening no matter how itty-bitty.

Directly after the procedure, candles were lit around the globe for Logan’s speedy recovery. Floating lanterns sent skyward with healing messages though panic began to grip as he remained out of sight for the entire day.

And now, with two full days gone and Logan still vanished, the public is beginning to both fear the worst and cast around for blame, which seems to be falling on Hickel and Ahrendt.

Was the deputy commissioner licensed to rub citrus on the wound? When he mumbled “…we gotta go lemon, lime” which one did he actually go and was it the correct choice?

Was the head judge certified to observe?

Denial turning to anger as the public begins to climb the stages of grief.

RIP.