Sports and recreation
Surfing
Estimated acute risk associated with recreational surfing.
Base risk estimate
0.005 micromorts per hours
Population-level estimate. Not a personal prediction.
Assumptions
Assumes recreational surfing at a typical beach break by an adult with basic swimming ability.
Limitations
Risk varies by wave size, reef vs beach break, rip currents, water temperature, experience level, and crowding.
Source notes
Placeholder value for development only. Surfing-specific fatality epidemiology is sparse. CDC WISQARS covers drowning fatalities but does not separate surfing deaths. Academic literature (e.g., Taylor DM et al. on surf beach drowning; Nathanson AT et al. in Wilderness Environ Med 2002 on surfer injuries) covers injury but not per-hour fatality rates at a population level.
Last reviewed
6/10/2026