Of course most of them are concentrated in the f*cking north section of the coast line. At any given point I'm probably affected by five of those discharge points. Obviously, my waste is coming out of the fourth one down, so I'm part of the problem. We need southeastern swells to carry that sh!t out and across the pond.
Anyone a physician or nurse on here? What are some of the risks to our health in surfing in Northern Monmouth Cty from untreatet/treated sewage and surface runoff post rain storms? Range from sniffles to major inner ear or intestinal infections? Recover quickly or long duration? I wonder if our immune systems take care to fight off the bateria, viruses or whatever. I just don't know the clinical pathology behind all this but its frickin freightening.... Didn't really think about it a whole lot until now.... Modern life in the most densely-populated state per capita.....
my guess is that unless the water is REALLY polluted w/ radioactive stuff (def not), then the worst that will happen will likely be some ear/sinus infections. the severity would likely range with the amount of runoff and pollutants it brings w/ it. any swell where there is going to be these big time t-storms and heavy rain, there is going to be runoff. there is no avoiding it. as gay as it sounds, i 've been trying to hold my nose when i can because i do not want to re-aggravate this sinus infection. also, if you are prone to ear infections, just rock the earplugs. i know a ton of ppl that do it.
Yeah, I think I might rock the plugs. From not surfing much all summer to these swells, it seems that when I get worked by a big closeout, I come up with my ear hurting.
i wore wax ear plugs for this last swell... I don't enjoy not being able to hear, but it is nice to have dry ears after the session not wearing about ear infections. I can handle the ear plugs in the warm weather, but I think it might really suck getting thrashed around in the winter and not being able to hear anything - we'll see. The ENT doc already said i have surfers ear, but not to the point of surgery.
the only thing keeping me from earplugs is the whole equilibrium issue. i had an ear infection a couple years back and had to wear them, and just couldn't get used to it. a dude i know just had to have the surgery for surfer's ear. i'm sure it's going to become more of an issue as people get older, and will eventually cause me to start w/ them. i'm pretty sure it's all due to cold water and has nothign to do w/ pollution and such.
I have never surfed north of maryland, and doubt I ever will after reading this thread. That sucks, dudes.
ive surfed OC and LBI my entire life and never gotten sick. it looks like down in S jersey they pump it 4-5 times further out in the ocean. maybes thats why. regardless its kinda gross. i guess ill add that to my list of reasons why im moving to las playas de nicaragua!
Its nothing that can do permanent damage. You get sick for a week once every couple of years or once a year and thats it. Price of doing business I guess. I've been told one can get hepatitis but have never heard of it happening to anyone. Re: Nica or any other developing or 3rd world break - don't kid yourself. It may seem cleaner but in many cases, esp. around rivermouths, that water is off the charts with pollutants.
I started wearing plugs last fall. I actually like them in the colder weather. It seems like they keep me warmer, as odd as that sounds. I've used both Mack's silicone putty and Doc's ProPlugs. I like the ProPlugs because you can hear better, but I end up losing them pretty regularly.
umm...i know people that have had MRSA infections, e.coli infections, hep A infections, etc...from the crap being pumped out of the pipes. i've heard of folks in other states losing limbs &/or dieing of MRSA infections that stemmed from exposure to contaminated ocean water...it just hasn't happened here YET.
The last day or 2 I've Googled ocean sickness and the MRSA staph infection point was constantly recurring theme. njsurfer42 's comment is exactly the info I was reading about. I guess I'll get earplugs (and one of those dorky nose clamps?), maybe not paddle out after its been raining and stay away from the pipedrains (but that is where the surf is, especially when its big). I.m in northern Monmouth Cty but I've read of water quality issues in New England, too. I think I'm fooling myself if I think I can go out an get off scott free without eventually contracvting something. Population is only getting larger impacting there entire ecosystem..... Ironic thing is a couple couple of articles referenced Hawaii and Florida with the poor water quality and high incidence of MRSA
