Re: CUSTOM SURFBOARD

However, you fail to take into account exposure, i.e. of the number of people surfing what is the rate of shark attack vs. the number of people driving and passenger miles?

Bruce

Of course, the RAW numbers need to be looked at a bit more critically, such as the number of shark attacks per 10,000 surfers, compared to the number of accidents per 10,000 car passengers/drivers

And maybe even compared the incidence of accidents per ManHOUR exposure

John

I'd love to do that but I don't have the data available and I'm not that interested in finding it. If you search for surfing you get more hits about internet surfing than surfing. I don't think there is anyone out there that is going to argue with a straight face that surfing is more fatal than driving, is there?

uh, yeah. If you mean are there more fatalities from driving than surfing, then no, nobody would argue that. However, if you mean more hazardous and more likely to cause death, then yes, that should be pretty easy to prove. Remember, shark deaths aren't the only surfing- related deaths or accidents, there's also drowning as a result of surfing. Comparing the number of fatalities per passenger-mile (or driving hours to make the units equal) from autos compared to the number of surfing related deaths to number of surfing hours seems very likely to show that surfing is more dangerous in terms of exposure.

Having surfed since the late 60's, It still irks me to hear internet browsing referred to as 'surfing'. Hell, how would you have liked it if they had decided to call it 'woodworking'??

As to surfing being a dangerous sport, obviously the word is not getting out. This whole 'Gen-X' / Xtreme Sports bandwagon has simply packed the beaches with more bodies than the wave conditions allow...

Rick ...just lurking about, picking up woodworking tips...

I agree with you. I consider myself a great internet researcher, exceptional in the ways of google's advanced search capabilities and damned if I could do much good with "surfing".

Well, another poster thought my post was "snotty." Damn, I was just generating discussion in my mind. Hang loose :)

Unfortunately, most surfing-related deaths in the SoCal area, are heart attacks. Typically in middle-age men... Yet, I do surf on a regular basis with 65+ old surfers. Never, in over 30 years have I seen a shark large enough to do any serious damage. We see a lot of seals/sea lions, dolphins and fish. Most injuries from sealife are due to stingrays. I did witness a surfer 'chased' out of the water by an elephant seal =:-).

Sharks are the 'least' of my worries...

DISCLAIMER: My experience is solely in Southern Cal and Baja Mexico, YMMV

Rick Personal Website

Of course it is. That's the _point_.

I missed the original post, but I'll jump on this...

The most dangerous and pointless activity? Nah, no way. I'd say bungee jumping, cliff diving, free climbing, hang gliding, sky diving and casual sex are all a lot more dangerous than surfing.

Silvan wrote:>I'd say bungee

Gee, maybe you're not doing them right...Tom, still gleaning. Someday, it'll all be over....

: please warn them of the : dangers. Their lives depend on it! :

LOL -

:-)

Rick To bring this back on topic, the first surfers were woodworkers... Here is a balsa slab to start with

: I just ain't : going into water with sharks in it. :

And just for you we have wave pools being constructed all over the country

Rick

oops...

On Wed, 7 Jan 2004 23:38:12 -0500 (EST), snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net (T.) scribbled:

Have you ever seen the teeth on the giant muskellunge?

Luigi Replace "no" with "yk" for real email address

I thought I read that out of your first message -- clearly written by someone who has been inside the green tumbling dice looking out.

Best day I've had so far was 10 hours at the North Jetties, Jax, FL when Hurricane David blew thru. 8'-10' overhead and perfect tube rides all day long ;-}. Amazing!!!

Cheers, Gary