Happy days are here again!

Months ago, professional surfing saw the official retirement of Owen Wright. The 33-year-old had, earlier, delighted his fans by releasing the “gut-wrenching, heroic” must-read memoir Against the Water in which he shared the story of suffering a traumatic brain injury whilst duck diving a wave in Hawaii, having to re-learn to walk, talk etc. and eventually winning bronze for his Australian home at surfing’s Olympic debut.

The massive damage done without actually receiving a knock on the head was a real wake up call to surfers around the world, though.

Is surfing, in any capacity, massively dangerous to the brain?

Conventional wisdom suggested “yes” but a new Welsh study undermines those very notions.

According to a neuro-rehabilitation program run by Swansea Bay and Hywel Dda University health boards, those who have suffered traumatic brain injury can actually improve their overall well-being by “immersing themselves in the dynamic elements of the, wind and sea.”

Per the academically rigorous yet fun The Conversation:

Some of our participants reported that surfing had taught them that all types of emotions – whether positive or negative – are an important part of the human experience. Instead of trying to control them, accepting them can help people find meaning in their lives.

Making room for difficult thoughts enabled some of our brain injury survivors to reconnect with their values and hobbies too. Surfing gave them meaning and a “valid reason for being alive”. It also showed them that “despite being a bit broken in some places,” they were still capable people. This helped them to renegotiate their identity.

Connecting with people in similar situations can also be crucial after brain injury. Many report that they don’t feel understood by family and friends. Yet belonging is a basic psychological need.

Happy days are here again.

THE MOMENTUM IS REAL.

Surf Ranch swings wide its wooden gates in just five days and I would have to imagine there is great joy in Santa Monica. Oh the event is the very least favorite on the World Surf League Championship Tour hated by surfers and surf fans alike and has been a critical failure with ticket prices slashed to near nothing in an attempt to have someone, anyone, come and watch.

Still, much happiness amongst the World Surf League chiefs as the patented Wall of Positive Noise™ grows stronger and stronger and stronger. So strong, in fact, and sturdy that not one ounce of criticism seeps in. A whole separate universe exists behind it. One where Chief of Sport Jessi Miley-Dyer has saved women and Chief of Executives Erik Logan has saved the earth.

In an Instagram message celebrating his great accomplishment of planting a plant, Logan stated, “One of the principles of the @wsl is sustainability. As a global community of surfers, we are working hard to make sure the ocean stays healthy. One way we do that is by replanting and honoring the land so fresh water flows back into the ocean. To be able to be a small part of something that will be here hundreds of years from now was an incredibly humbling experience.”

While many applauded, one loan critic lobbed a devastating insult asking for an offset of the wild amount of air travel the World Surf League creates along with the volume of single use surfboards and called the planting of a plant “virtue signaling at its best.”

The World Surf League Positive Brigade pounced, responding directly with the message, “Thanks for your comment! We are fully committed to our environmental initiatives and realize sport has the power to inspire, engage and set new trends globally. We aim to reduce first and then offset any unavoidable emissions and have been carbon neutral since 2018, including all Championship Tour staff and athlete travel, and have reduced emissions by 49% since our 2018 baseline. If interested, you can learn more at wsloneocean.org.”

Unbent, the Negative Nelly responded, “Thanks for the reply however I don’t see a few plants make a difference. Good luck with your Winkipop viewing platform.”

Ouch.

But if you could, would you live in a world where you believed all of your own lies? Where you could live life one wave at a time whilst making your passion your life?

Me too.