A study is being conducted by the Southern Cross University to bring out the hazards posed by surfing.

Surfing is the favourite pastime of Australian people, but a few may know about the perils it poses. So, the study will inquire the incidence of injuries in Australian surfers.

The research is a collaborative effort of Surfing Australia and the Southern Cross University. It has been sponsored by the New South Wales (NSW) Sporting Injuries Committee. The crew of researchers also involves staff from the University's School of Health and Human Sciences, which is being led by Dr. Rudi Meir.

Dr. Meir said,” This project will examine one aspect of participation in the form of injury prevalence and we certainly hope to ultimately conduct more research in this sport”.

The findings of the study will be based on the online survey that is being participated in by the surfers. They will give information related to types of injuries, injury rates, severity of injury, skin cancer and safe surfing. Surfers are being invited to take part in the survey.

The project has been endorsed by the Southern Cross University Human Research Ethics Committee. The participation will be kept anonymous. The survey will last for four weeks on the university’s website and will be taken off on November 7.

The findings will be beneficial for Surfing Australia and the NSW Sport Injuries Committee to form policies and guidelines that could prove helpful to surfers in avoiding injuries.