Ghost Trees surfer Peter Davi had Meth in his toxicology report?
It's a really sad set of news to come out from the Peter Davi's toxicology report. It indicated that he had a significant amount of methamphetamine in his system when he died at Ghost trees last December.
As a big wave surfer, I was deeply saddened to find out that Davi had died. I am even more deeply saddened by the fact that he was high when it happened. Not judging the man here, but holy cow...the most difficult thing about surfing big Nor Cal waves is calming down your heart so that you can maintain composure in life threatening conditions. I can't even imagine what it must feel like to be hopped up on Meth, paddling your for your life to either a) scratch over a set, or b) commit to drop into a wave.
Surfing big waves always requires preparation. I never feel fully prepared. I always want more strength, more endurance, a slightly longer board, and more balls. But hopping out on Meth is not what would ever occur to me.
Every big wave surfer knows what it's like to go down on a big set wave. You have to go into Zen mode. Zen mode means EXACTLY THAT. You have to take the heaviest swirl, pump and thump without freaking out that you might not make it to the surface. Once th wave lets up, you muster your energy to go in the right direction and get to the surface. It's gnarly. Hope your cord doesn't break because it's normally the only thing that can reliably lead you in the right direction.
Apparently Davi's cord did break, and that's what got him into trouble. There is not a single Maverick's surfer in the lineup that wouldn't be freaking out if/when their cord breaks on a heavy day. You're forced to swim and stay bouyant without your trusty board underneath you. We're just not conditioned to do that.
Add a heart-racing, teeth clenching, eye-bugging drug into the mix and good luck, man. It sounds like a horrible way to go.
The beauty of big wave surfing is that it brings out the purest elements of everything we love about surfing to begin with. The conditions. A lifetime accumulation of experience in the ocean. Proper equipment. And no B.S. There is no replacement for skill, preparation and talent when the surf is huge. There's no cheating. There's no faking it, like you might be able to in 4' perfection. This is the real deal and only the best reap the glory.
This is why I paddle over many shoulders while the best in the world drop into bombs out at Mavs. I'm there opportunistically to pick off the scraps, but the guys with real deal are sitting deep in the bowl, risking taking the next big set on the head, and stroking hard into the next bomb that comes through.
I'm bummed for Peter, but hope that somehow some others might learn from his experience. It ain't cool.
-Tailblock
