By now, the far-reaching arm of Coronavirus has touched nearly everyone’s life in some way – whether it has impacted your spring break travel plans, increased your daily hand-washing routine to the point of Howard Hughes-level mania, triggered anxieties over your holdings on the stock market, or worst of all, infected you or someone you know.
But, as surfers, how has the spread of the Coronavirus effected our pursuit of waves? Or how will it in the near future? Already, the WSL has reportedly postponed (potentially canceled) upcoming QS events in Indonesia and Japan; and surfing’s debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is in question. As for civilian surfers, the disease has primarily complicated plane travel. Cancelations have been common, especially with flights traveling to or through Asia and parts of Europe and the Middle East. (See the CDC’s country-by-country Coronavirus risk assessment for travel here.)
So, should you be concerned about that upcoming surf trip? To gauge the situation, we canvassed a handful of experienced surfing nomads on their level of apprehension when it comes to traveling for waves in the throes of the Coronavirus concern.
Mick Fanning:
“I think you’ve got to be cautious, but you’re never going to stop surfers trying to get waves. I actually just travelled home from Europe through Singapore the other day and the airports are all over it. Felt pretty safe.”
Dane Gudauskas:
“I would say I am fairly concerned about the Coronavirus regarding traveling. There just seems to be so many unknowns at this point with new locations popping up seemingly every day. Even your hometown could become affected potentially, so the thought of staying home versus traveling to go surf gives me mixed emotions at this point. I haven’t had any trips impacted yet, although I have some plans of being in Indonesia at the end of the month that I am keeping an eye on just to see how this virus is moving and continuing to take form. I’m hopeful that in a few weeks more info will continue to come to light in order to make the best decision I can. Even if that trip were to come together and move forward, I think it’s just about being as informed and aware as possible of what is going on, and obviously being responsible for my movements and actions afterward if I was feeling sick at all.”
Above: Kanoa Igarashi comments on the Coronavirus on CNN.
Sally Fitzgibbons:
“Yes, Coronavirus is the first serious virus since the Rio Olympics [Zika], I think, and of concern to all frequent travelers around the world. At this stage, with the tour being in Australia where there has been minimal cases, we will be able to monitor the first few months and get a better idea of how it is going to impact the rest of the year. The WSL has already canceled a few events so it is a possibility that there could be an impact on the tour and Olympics. All I can do is keep training and concentrate on my job at hand and, if traveling, observe some basic safety measures.”
Michael Dunphy:
“So far, I haven’t been too concerned with the virus. I know it’s bad in certain places, but if I know the waves are going to pump somewhere, I’m jumping on the first flight to get there. Whether that’s a too relaxed way to look at it, we shall see. The WSL just sent us an email this morning saying they have postponed events in Indo and Japan that were supposed to happen in the next few months. Crazy to think they had an event in China right before this all broke out. My only precautions so far have been to not pay for the upgrade into first class, because there’s likely to be an empty row in the back with so few people traveling.”
For Dunphy, the physical threat of Coronavirus hasn’t been much of a concern. But as far as his competitive career goes, certain QS events have been postponed (and/or canceled) due to the sickness. Photo: Billy Watts
Keahi de Aboitiz:
“Honestly I don’t know what to think about it. I’m in the Marshall Islands and haven’t really been able to do much research with the Internet here. It might stop me from going to some places, but I think I’ll still be traveling. I’m a little concerned about travel getting shut down and getting stuck somewhere.”
Mikala Jones:
“I’m just gonna surf wavepools from now on.”
“Even a zombie apocalypse wouldn’t stop surfers from traveling for surf.” – Alex Smith
Noa Mizuno:
“I’m not too worried about it. I just wear a mask and hope for the best. It’s spreading so quickly that it’s only a matter of time before the majority of the population has had it.”
Kolohe Andino:
“Hmm. Not really. Pretty out of my control. As always, just trying not to get sick!”
Koa Smith:
“It has definitely been a little sketchy pulling the trigger on strike missions right now. But so far it hasn’t stopped me, and I’ve been spending a scary amount of time in planes. So far, none of my trips have been canceled. I don’t watch the news, so I tend to be a bit out of the loop. It seems like things are starting to rev up a bit. I feel like the way it’s going people will stop traveling all together soon, which may mean cheaper flights and uncrowded swells for the risky humans. Overall, I just try to pump up my immune system. Making sure I’m strong and charged with consistent sleep. Taking a lot of GSE (grapefruit seed extract), Vitamin C (Lypo-Spheric) and a nice Sarong or scarf to block out the hater germs. Also, Laird told me to just breathe through my nose.”
Koa Smith isn’t worried; he’s more so stoked about the potential of uncrowded lineups…so long as he’s loaded up on Vitamin C. Photo: Billy Watts
Emi Erickson:
“Sure, coronavirus is freaky—but so are a lot of things. Travel is the best thing ever, so I wouldn’t hesitate.”
Manny Resano:
“I am currently driving through Morocco with my family, and we have been thinking about the virus and how sad it would be to have to change our traveling and surfing lifestyle. I also feel bad for the people who are affected by the disease. Before there was a lot of information, I was pretty worried for my family’s health. But then I heard that the virus doesn’t necessarily kill you or even really affect you if your natural defenses are strong. This made me feel a bit better, and motivated me to focus on being mentally strong. But again, I don’t have much information and definitely wouldn’t give advice to anyone else. That is just how I feel at the present moment.”
Kepa Acero:
“I just came back from Africa and I found all this crazy media talking about this, all day. I’m of course keeping an eye on how it is developing in the world, but, to be honest, I am pretty skeptical to what I hear in the commercial media. I’m not saying that this Coronavirus is not happening, I am just saying that the big press are capable of easily generating and spreading fear. I am gonna keep an eye on how it is going. But for now, I’m going back to Africa in April, keeping the serenity.”
Kepa Acero is one of the most experienced travelers on this list, if not the entire surfing world. And, while he’s keeping a careful eye on the Coronavirus, he’s not letting it change his nomadic wanderings. Photo: Kepa
How do you feel about traveling to surf amidst the Coronavirus concern? Sound off in the comments below.
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