Since January 2020, the world has been stuck in a holding pattern, stalling life in every aspect due to COVID-19 and its potential to spread infection. It’s damn serious, as we’ve all seen and heard about multiple cases in every country and city around the world. However, some habits from frequent hand-washing to mask-wearing will do a tremendous amount of prevention. We can still go farther into safety with people making it a point to avoid casual contact.
Some concern is in the minds of surf enthusiasts as well about getting back into the water. It’s important for them to know is it safe to surf again? With the right precautions and situational awareness, the answer is looking like a “yes.” Crowded beaches are definitely out of the question, and major travel through international airports is probably not happening any sooner, given the prevailing situation. But, local surfing can get started again with the lifting of regional restrictions. And, a bit of common sense and social distance from others can go a long way in terms of personal protection, in and out of the water.
People Clustering Tends to be a Primary Cause
Most of the COVID-19 cases have occurred where people behaved as nothing changed, and they packed themselves in close contact, in contained rooms with little distance from each other’s breathing. Churches, concerts, parties, meeting halls, and family gatherings have all been the catalyst factor. And, just like sardines in a can, the infection spreads fast in those situations.
Out on the surf, one has the advantage of being able to sit on the beach in isolation, as well as be in the ocean water away from others. Both go a long way to removing the possibility of exposure. Calm and comparatively unoccupied beaches are ideal for surfing like the Mentawai Islands surf. Combine mask-wearing when out of the water with hand-washing, and the potential for infection goes down significantly. We have to be willing to change the way we behave in normal settings like avoiding touching eyes and nose.
Steps You Can Take to Be Safe
So when out on the beach, park yourself away from others, have your own food and drink instead of sharing, and keep your materials and containers contact-free from anyone else. Bring a bottle of sanitizer with you if there’s nowhere to wash your hands. In the water, swim and surf with some distance from others. This might be a bit challenging if everyone is surfing at the same time, so be cooperative and take turns in the water versus crowding for the next immediate wave.
At Mentawai Resorts, we are the first who want to see surfing back in the water as fast as possible, but we also want everyone to stay safe and remain healthy. Bear with the preventions in your community even if they seem unrelated to surfing and you directly. They are meant to keep you protected and to hold off the damage of COVID-19 until a better solution arrives. This is a time when patience really matters, and everyone needs to do their part for their family and neighbors.
Surfing Again Locally With Us
For those interested, Hollow Tree’s Resort is offering a 25% discount to all the domestic travelers who want to visit for the remaining 2020 surf season. We know it has been challenging, but with a bit of smarts, folks can still get in a few waves at Mentawai and relax for a while from the world’s worries.
