Surfing

Then board strikes to the head, reef and rock cuts that get infected because the water is not clean, ear and eye problems from cold and salt, and the occasional serious one: a held-down, a broken board through a leg, or a dislocation in the shorebreak.

Sunburn is the constant, and over years it is the one that matters most. Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world.

THE KIT THAT LIVES IN THE CAR

Be honest about this: you are not carrying anything into the water, so the KIT lives in the boot and the only question is whether it is there at all.

The Ocean Warrior First Aid KIT was made with Australian big wave surfer Mark Visser and is built to float, which matters if it ever goes in the boat or on a ski. It carries dressings, shears, swabs, splinter probes, gloves, wound closures, an emergency blanket, a waterproof dry bag and a CPR card.

The Ocean Warrior First Aid KIT with Tourniquet adds the ability to stop a serious bleed, which is what a deep fin cut to the thigh can become.

SURF TRIPS CHANGE THE ANSWER

A morning at your local means the hospital is twenty minutes away and someone else is in the car park.

A trip up the coast to an empty point break means none of that. No phone coverage, nobody around, and a long drive out. Carry more than you think you need, and tell someone where you have gone.

The SURVIVAL Slimline First Aid KIT is 4cm thick and fits a board bag without taking space you wanted for wax and a spare leggie.

CPR ON THE SAND

Drowning and near-drowning are the reason CPR matters more at a beach than almost anywhere else, and bystanders hesitate over mouth-to-mouth with a stranger.

A resuscitation shield removes that hesitation. It is the cheapest thing in any KIT and the one you most hope never to use. SURVIVAL recommends proper first aid training alongside any KIT.

SURFING ALONE, EARLY

Dawn patrol is when the surf is best and the beach is emptiest, which is exactly the wrong combination if something goes wrong.

If you surf alone, tell someone, and keep the KIT somewhere in the car you can reach without unpacking everything.

Also see Boating / Marine, Travel and Outdoor.