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There are millions of boys who when confronted with the question “what would you like to be when you grow up?” would respond with Doctor, Pilot, Firefighter.    Consider changing their bedtime story book to Force of Nature and I guarantee you the answer to that very popular question will unanimously be “I WANNA GROW UP TO BE A BIG WAVE SURFER LIKE LAIRD HAMILTON”.

Many a surfer can call themselves fit, strong, in top physical shape, but none can come close to encompass the sheer power and force that is Laird Hamilton. Thanks to his famous surfer stepfather, Billy Hamilton, Laird has been cutting waves since the tender age of three.  He continues to amaze humanity by putting himself in the most harrowing situations imaginable and emerging unscathed.  Some of his notable achievements are breaking the European Windsurfing speed record, crossing the English Channel on a paddle board and surfing the wave called Teahupoo which was later labelled the heaviest wave ever ridden.  Laird is known as the guiding genius of cross-over board sports, and he is truly amazing and almost indestructible in the water.

So take these next few paragraphs as a test to your physical and mental abilities and see if you can keep up with the likes of one of the biggest surfing legends of all time.  Have a look at the tips below and get a quick sense of what it takes to walk a day in the shoes of Laird Hamilton (although he prefers to go barefoot).

EAT LIKE LAIRD:

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My first son was born at the beginning of Japan’s typhoon season. It was great knowing that I’d got him out and my stomach had shrunk in time for the big swells, but I underestimated how much time it would take me to get the strength to surf solid waves again. Despite remaining incredibly fit right throughout the pregnancy, only us mothers really can know just how draining childbirth is. Hours, sometimes of days, of incessant pushing through extreme pain is followed by feeding like a dairy cow every two hours adding to the sleepless nights that many husbands don’t realize we experience right throughout the last months of pregnancy. Then there’s the hormones…jumping and twirling all over the place, launching us into barrels of tears and bouts of depression no matter how grateful we are for our little bundles of joy. And that’s just scratching the surface.

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Since the nuclear situation has been slowly unfolding in Japan with no signs of a quick fix, it is now accepted by most Japanese that they are indeed consuming a certain percentage of radiation in their bodies. In past blogs I have mentioned about the increasing numbers of surfers getting back into the water here on the east coast, despite the fears that the contamination in the water is above the safety levels. Although I am not encouraging anyone to grab their kids and head down the beach everyday here in Chiba this summer, I understand that surfers just gotta surf, so I am dedicating this blog today to handy health supplements/foods related to reducing the amount of radiation in your body.

Potassium Iodine

As we know, the release of radioactive iodine is very dangerous to humans, particularly children and unborn foetuses. Radioactive iodine can accumulate around the thyroid gland and cause thyroid cancer. In 1982, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved potassium iodine to protect the thyroid glands from radioactive iodine involving accidents or fission emergencies*. It should only be taken if there is a general concern that large amounts of radioactive iodine have been consumed.

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You can only keep surfers out of the water for so long. Recently goregous weather and very nice waves have had Japanese surfers on the east coast of the island itching to get their feet wet, and many have given in to the wait despite the ongoing fear of radiation contamination.

Here in Ichinomiya, Chiba, we are close enough to the Fukushima plant to be concerned about drifting currents bringing highly contaminated water to our breaks. For the first few weeks after the Great Eastern Japanese Earthquake, tsunami and outbreak of the Nuclear disaster at Fukushima, we were lucky to see one or two brave soles entering the waters despite the obvious risks. But as time has passed, despite the ongoing desperate nuclear situation and constant release of radioactive material into the air and ocean, warm weather and very attractive surf have lured the Japanese back into the water.

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The festive season is almost upon us and with it comes dreams of faraway places – warm, tropical locations with perfect waves and pristine beaches. Ah, surf travel! It's one of the things that keeps us surfers going through the slog of the 9-5. But before you jet off to paradise, you may want to consider a few health precautions …

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