Wednesday, January 30, 2013

The Dangers of Surf Technology

As technology in our world is advancing, we are slowly finding that it is making its way into our sports programs. Surfing technology has been on the rise for years and has no intentions of slowing down. During the filming of the movie Chasing Mavericks, which was released within the past few months, a new wetsuit was designed and used to help surfers brave the 30 foot surf swell. Invented by surfer Shane Dorian and manufactured by Billabong surf company, this wetsuit, called the V1, allows a surfer who has been driven deep underwater after a wipeout to pull a cord on the wetsuit and inflate the air bladder attached to it. This process uses a CO2 cartridge to inflate the bladder and bring the surfer to the surface of the water.
This new technology is great in ensuring that surfers do not drown when being pushed nearly 40 feet underwater after falling, but it is also talk of concern among many professional surfers.
The advancement of new technology in the surfing world not only allows surfers to be safer in the bigger waves, but it also allows more surfers to push their limits. Many professional surfers believe that with this suit, young surfers will not prepare themselves for the gigantic surf and will simply rely on their inflatable wetsuit.
As a surfer myself, I fear that new technology in surfing will only leave us with more injuries. This technology allows people to surf in larger conditions and feel safe, without preparing their bodies for the physical beating they will get when surfing larger waves.
The biggest question as technology pushes its way into sports is -Where do we draw the line?
A sport such a surfing is something that takes years of practice and training to master. With this technology, it is feared that surfers will not master enough skills before pushing their body to new extremes.

Article:  http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/water-activities/surfing/Courage-in-a-Canister.html?page=1






























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2 comments:

  1. Chris BJanuary 30, 2013 at 11:03 AM

    While this seems like a cool idea for big wave surfing, it does not seem like it will catch on in most surfing communities. I also grew up surfing. The bigger problem (in New Jersey at least) seems to be sharks mistaking the wet suits for seals. The wet suit designers should focus more on making the suits less seal-like to solve a more general problem.

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  2. LeeJanuary 31, 2013 at 8:28 AM

    Christine, you touch on a really important issue when you write, "Many professional surfers believe that with this suit, young surfers will not prepare themselves for the gigantic surf and will simply rely on their inflatable wetsuit." The idea that safety technologies encourage people to make foolish or even stupid choices has a very long history. Indeed, Steven Usselman shows that railroads used safety technologies as an excuse to push more traffic through the system, thereby, raising risks. I see similar things in the history of automobiles, where drivers see safety technologies as an opportunity to go faster. Finally, some people have argued that today's football helmets are simply too good and that players now lead with their head, which leads to concussions and other brain injuries. Could it be that less safe technologies sometimes encourage safer behavior?

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