Surf injuries: Crowded surf spots causing more than one in 10 surfers to injure others at the beach

More than one in 10 surfers have injured someone else in the water mainly due to crowding, poor visibility or inexperience, a new survey has revealed.

A survey by the University of New South Wales asked surfers whether they had injured someone else while surfing with 11.4 per cent of 815 Australian respondents saying they had.

Of those that had caused injury to another person, 74 per cent were men.

Almost half of the collisions were due to crowding or visibility issues and most were accidental.

These collisions caused 26 fin-related lacerations, 14 board impact injuries, and 13 head injuries or concussions.

However, five of the respondents said they injured another surfer deliberately due to breaches of surf etiquette.

“Somewhat deliberately … I took out a guy who had dropped in on me four times … knocking him unconscious,” one surfer said.

UNSW researchers Michael Tran and Amy Peden said the deliberate collisions reflected how informal surf rules and localism can sometimes escalate into aggression.

“Such dynamics not only increase the risk of injury but may also deter newcomers and contribute to a hostile surf environment,” they said.

The research concluded that the findings underscored the importance of safety education.

“Coastal management authorities may consider implementing designated zones based on skill level to reduce injury risks in crowded breaks, while surf education programmes should incorporate modules on etiquette, spatial awareness and interpersonal safety,” the researchers said.

“There is also a clear need for improved injury surveillance systems that capture incidents involving harm to others, which are currently under-reported.”