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Novice surfers are at risk for a rare but potentially devastating form of atraumatic myelopathy. There are 16 published studies on this condition, including 66 cases. The most common suggested mechanism of injury is static hyperextension. However, active mechanisms, in contrast to static, have also been proposed and may be contributory. First time surfers, defined as those who have never been on a surfboard prior to the day of injury, are at particular risk. These individuals make up 89.5%-100% of the reported novice surfers found in the various reports. Multiple neurologic deficits occur and often include paraparesis, paraplegia, urinary retention, and hyperesthesia. While these deficits resolve in some cases, there are reports of multiple instances of permanent injury. Increased awareness of this condition is arguably the most effective preventative measure, as it may lead to avoidance of the predisposing postures. It may also lead to earlier diagnosis in the acute setting, which will become relevant as treatment modalities continue to be refined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Publisher Correction: Journal of Rubber Research https://doi.org/10.1007/s42464-022-00172-5 The publication of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. The author Luiz Carlos Robinson Adriano Furlanetto are two authors: Luiz Carlos Robinson and Adriano Furlanetto. [Extracted from the article]

This article examines the masculinities of male workers in the context of an emotionally rich form of labour: surfboard-making. Contributing to emerging research around the emotional and embodied dimensions of men's working lives, the article maps the cultural, emotional and embodied dimensions of work onto masculine identity construction. Combining cultural economy theory, emotional geographies and in-depth ethnographic methods, I reveal how surfboard-making has become a gendered form of work; how jobs rely on (and impact) the body and what surfboard-making means to workers outside of financial returns. Following a manual labour process, and informed by Western surfing subculture, commercial surfboard-making has layered onto male bodies. Men perform ‘blokey’ masculinities in relation with one another. However, doing manual craftwork evokes close, personal interaction; among co-workers but also through engagements with place and local customers. Felt, embodied craft skills help workers personalise boards for individual customers and local breaks. Beneath masculine work cultures and pretensions, surfboard-making is a deeply emotional and embodied work. Labour is dependent on haptic knowledge: sense of touch, bodily movement and eye for detail. Contrasting their blokey masculinity, surfboard-makers rely on intimate links between their bodies, tools, materials, customers and surfing places. These ‘strong bodied’ men articulate a ‘passion’ and ‘love’ for ‘soulful’ jobs, demonstrating how waged work comprises alternative masculinities, shaped by working culture, relations and labour processes. A cultural economy framework and emotionally engaged research approach are valuable for challenging hegemonic masculinity, important for achieving more inclusive, tolerant and equitable workplaces. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In August 2011 the announcement by Bluescope Steel of mass layoffs at its Port Kembla steelworks, in the Illawarra region, sparked renewed public debate and media commentary on the future [...]

Coastal populations and hazards are escalating simultaneously, leading to an increased importance of coastal ocean observations. Many well-established observational techniques are expensive, require complex technical training, and offer little to no public engagement. Smartfin, an oceanographic sensor–equipped surfboard fin and citizen science program, was designed to alleviate these issues. Smartfins are typically used by surfers and paddlers in surf zone and nearshore regions where they can help fill gaps between other observational assets. Smartfin user groups can provide data-rich time-series in confined regions. Smartfin comprises temperature, motion, and wet/dry sensing, GPS location, and cellular data transmission capabilities for the near-real-time monitoring of coastal physics and environmental parameters. Smartfin's temperature sensor has an accuracy of 0.05 °C relative to a calibrated Sea-Bird temperature sensor. Data products for quantifying ocean physics from the motion sensor and additional sensors for water quality monitoring are in development. Over 300 Smartfins have been distributed around the world and have been in use for up to five years. The technology has been proven to be a useful scientific research tool in the coastal ocean—especially for observing spatiotemporal variability, validating remotely sensed data, and characterizing surface water depth profiles when combined with other tools—and the project has yielded promising results in terms of formal and informal education and community engagement in coastal health issues with broad international reach. In this article, we describe the technology, the citizen science project design, and the results in terms of natural and social science analyses. We also discuss progress toward our outreach, education, and scientific goals. [Display omitted] • Smartfin is an IoT, oceanographic sensor-equipped surfboard fin for citizen science. • Over 300 Smartfins have been distributed since 2016. • Roughly 2800 h of coastal data have been collected by participants. • Smartfin data are useful for coastal physics and remote sensing analyses. • Education, outreach, and community are central to project's mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Stand up paddle boarding (SUP) is a rapidly growing sport and recreational activity where anecdotal evidence exists for its proposed fitness, injury rehabilitation & core strength benefits. A review of the literature failed to identify a single article which examined the potential physiological adaptations associated with SUP. Aims: The purpose of this study was to profile elite stand up paddle boarders in relation to balance, muscular strength and muscular endurance. Methods: Eight elite SUP's were recruited from the Stand Up Paddle Surfing Association of Australia. Anatomical measures of multifidus cross-sectional area (via ultrasound), postural control under static and dynamic conditions and an isometric test of lumbar extension were performed. Results: Results found no significant differences in height, significantly less mass (p = 0.001) and significantly lower BMI (p < 0.05) than published Australian Bureau of Statistics data. Significantly lower static postural control indicated by increased velocity of sway ((p < 0.01), Eyes Open (EO) = +72.02% Eyes Closed (EC) = +76.34%) and significantly higher levels of dynamic postural control indicated by decreased velocity of sway (p < 0.01, Eyes-Open-Anterior-Posterior instability condition (EOAP) -34.54%, Eyes -Closed-Anterior-Posterior instability condition (ECAP) -35.83%, Eyes Open Medial Lateral instability condition (EOML) -16.91 %, Eyes Closed Medial Lateral instability condition (ECML) -10.42%) were recorded in all but one condition when compared to national level surfers, which we attributed to time spent in the standing position on an unstable surface. Conclusion: These results indicate that stand up paddle boarding may indeed be beneficial for strength and endurance training of the trunk musculature, for balance training for other sports and useful as a rehabilitation tool for musculoskeletal dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to an emerging postcolonial literature on the history of surfing by documenting the material cultural practice of surfboard making across Hawai‘i, California and Australia. It outlines what is known of precolonial surfboard-making practices in Hawai‘i and then traces important 20th-century advances in design. In contrast to popular histories of surfing that emphasise Hawaiian ‘tradition’ versus Californian and Australian ‘innovators’, this paper establishes the links, exchanges and information flows that informed evolving practices of surfboard making. Such links, exchanges and information flows were trans-Pacific in nature, even from the early 20th century, and were utterly dependent on both Hawaiian antecedents and contemporary innovations. Although not without contestation, the emergence of surfboard making as a 20th-century trans-Pacific cultural industry was premised on generosity, a sense of artisan brotherhood and an omnipresent thirst in distant corners of the Pacific Ocean for a better way to ride its waves. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]