Surf Safe, Surf Smart

The Rise in Helmet Use

On Dec 3rd 2023 at Pipeline’s Backdoor on Oahu’s North Shore, professional surfer Joao Chianca dropped into a huge wave. Unfortunately, his incredible skill was no match for the wave whose bottom dropped out. Chianca free fell through the air before plunging back into the water at the nadir of the wave. No one knows for sure whether he hit his head on the reef or the board, but he was knocked unconscious and nearly drowned.

As terrible as this incident was, it encouraged greater use of surf helmets. Nowadays, it is routine to see helmeted surfers in major competitions – especially big wave competitions – as well as at your local break. Surfers wearing helmets are still a minority, but the tide is changing, similar to how helmets became standard in biking and skiing decades ago.

The head is the most commonly injured body part in the sport of surfing. Many of these injuries are caused by a surfboard (the owner’s or someone else’s), however, they can also be caused by underwater hazards or the seabed itself. Skin injuries range from mild abrasions to major lacerations; brain injuries range from minor concussions to major traumatic brain injury (TBI). Prevention of brain injury and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is the most compelling reason for helmet use. Lesser-known side benefits of helmet use include retaining heat in cold water, prevention of surfer’s ear (for helmets that cover the ears), sun protection and the ability to mount a camera.

Conditions do not have to be heavy or the lineup crowded to be at risk. Even falling off in small waves can cause the board to get hurled up into the air. The only thing standing between the surfer and a board hitting them in the head is luck – or a helmet! I’ve been hit twice in the head – pretty damn hard – by my own board. Both times I was wearing my helmet. I believe it saved me from a significant concussion, if not total loss of consciousness.

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A WIPEOUT LESSON Why I Never Surf Without a Helmet

BY JOE GOYOS

In February 2021, I had a serious surf accident resulting in an ear laceration and brain injury, leaving me with no memory of the event and a long road to recovery. I was intubated for 24 hours and hospitalized for six days at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla and I am convinced that wearing a helmet would have drastically changed my outcome. Surf helmets today are lightweight, comfortable, and provide critical protection against head injuries from collisions with boards, the reef, or other surfers.

Now, I never surf without a helmet and often think about how common helmets are in snowboarding, wondering if increased awareness will lead to a similar trend in surfing. Seeing younger surfers at Pipeline wearing helmets gives me hope that more people are prioritizing brain safety.

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There are many types of surf helmets, both hard and soft, with visors and earflaps and without. I recommend finding one you like and will actually wear. Surfers can be minimalists when it comes to clothing and equipment, however, this is one piece of gear you don’t want to be caught in the lineup without.

MJ Hessert is an Emergency Medicine Physician and avid (helmeted) surfer in Oceanside, CA.