From the ocean to the OR: Doctor shares his love of surfing

The sport of surfing has been around for centuries, yet its inclusion in the Olympic Games is fairly new. It wasn’t until 2020 that surfing got a place on the program. However, it had a stunted start through pandemic setbacks and only one ribboned competitor, four-time world champion Carissa Moore, who took home gold.

But for many who paddle out, 2024 is seen as surfing’s year.

Dr. Amarpal Arora, an orthopedic surgeon with Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group, will surely be glued to his flat-screen. Not only will he be following his favorites — from John Florence to Filipe Toledo — Dr. Arora is an avid surfer himself, having spent most of his life along the San Diego shores.

“While I didn’t come from a surfing family, I did grow up near the beaches of Del Mar,” Dr. Arora says. “In high school, as soon as I could get a car, I roped some friends into teaching me the basics. It took about three weeks but soon, I felt comfortable and I was hooked for life.”

Other countries and close calls

Dr. Arora’s love for surfing has brought him to beaches near and far, from the breezy sands of Santa Cruz to Panama’s diverse coastline. His top trip was to El Salvador, where he embarked on a five-day surf escape with a friend from medical school. They rarely found themselves outside the water, but when they did, they reveled in the fresh food and the kindness of the locals.

While his most colorful adventures may have been abroad, his scariest was surely here in his hometown. While surfing in Del Mar, Dr. Arora once spotted a six- to eight-foot shark sharing his wave. He put some distance between them, but the shark followed. Dr. Arora took the cue to swim to shore and call it a day.

The shark encounter may have been unwanted, but another type of encounter left Dr. Arora starstruck. Once, while grabbing an acai bowl at a local shop, he ran into Rob Machado, a crowd favorite who often competed with Kelly Slater.

“I couldn’t talk to him, so I made my daughter do it,” he says.

Bringing the benefits of surfing to his practice

With the pressures of balancing work life with family life, Dr. Arora doesn’t surf as much as he’d like. Yet he still manages to get out on the water three to four times a week. Between his surgery schedule and coaching his daughters’ soccer teams, he often has to wake at 5 am to get in a surfing session.

But it’s worth it, he says.

“It’s a bit cliché, I know, but once you are out in the water with just yourself and the ocean, something surreal takes over,” Dr. Arora says. “It’s a feeling that can be meditative and calming just as much as it can be adrenaline fueling and anxiety provoking all at the same time.”

The health benefits of surfing, from physical strength to mental calming, are things he discusses often with his patients. For those who surf, they bond over a common passion, and he caters his healing plan in a way that makes room for or builds up to surfing. For those who don’t surf, he encourages them to give it a try.

“It doesn’t matter if you come into our clinic already a habitual surfer or just interested in exploring the sport, I love suggesting getting in the water,” he says. “It can benefit the patient in so many ways that many have never thought of.”

A new wave of surfing talent

As Team USA gets ready for their time in Paris, Dr. Arora is excited to see them make our country proud. But it’s seeing his daughters take to the waves that truly fills him with pride. Recognizing his passion, they learned how to surf when they were 4 and 5 years old — and the only teacher they’d allow was him.

“It’s been an incredible experience to show them what I know,” Dr. Arora says. “I am looking forward to traveling around the world, finding surf spots to enjoy with them. They have learned, just like I have, that it only takes one wave to change your view on surfing — and yourself.”

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