Surfing doctors among first to help at Nias

Surfing doctors among first to help at Nias

Chris Brummitt and Margie Mason, Associated Press, Aboard the Saranya

When a huge earthquake struck the remote reef-fringed islands off
Indonesia's western coast last week, a small group of surfing
doctors was already working in this region famous for its waves
-- and it was among the first to provide help.

SurfAid International is a mostly volunteer group started five
years ago by a New Zealand physician after treating sick children
during a surfing trip to the islands.

It has been working even more since the Asian tsunami. And
when the magnitude-8.7 quake hit on Monday night last week,
collapsing hundreds of buildings and killing hundreds of people
on a string of small islands off Sumatra, its doctors and nurses
quickly switched from doing inoculations to providing emergency
first aid.

"We have to be ready for anything," said Ricky Waruwu, an
Indonesian nurse on a SurfAid crew that diverted its charter boat
from Banyak island to nearby Nias island when they heard about
the quake damage.

"We have been stitching people up and helping them being med-
evaced out of here," said Waruwu, wearing a T-shirt with the
words "Malaria Sucks" on the front and "Saving Lives Every Day"
on the back.

The group was among the first to reach Gunung Sitoli, the
biggest town on Nias. Now that UN agencies, foreign militaries
and other relief organizations have arrived, SurfAid is moving
on.

Waruwu, another nurse and an Indonesian doctor plan to set off
Friday carrying antibiotics, vaccinations, suture kits and pain
killers up Nias' western coast, looking for villages not yet
reached by outside help. A second SurfAid charter boat will head
the other way along the coast.

The effectiveness of SurfAid has attracted the attention of
bigger agencies. AusAid, the Australian government's foreign aid
arm, is sending an officer with Waruwu's crew.

"These guys have the experience and the boats," said Ausaid's
medical coordinator, Mike Penrose. "They know the place and have
people on the ground. It's a great thing to have."

SurfAid has worked in the region since 2000 helping
malnourished children and educating villagers about malaria and
other diseases, but a rush of donations after the Dec. 26 tsunami
has allowed it to expand operations.

The group got US$2 million in the two months after the
disaster, compared to less than US$500,000 during the preceding
two years. That let it charter two boats to take doctors to
places in need, instead of wasting hours or days waiting for
local ferries.

Monday's quake did the most damage on the islands off the west
coast of Sumatra, which recorded at least 126,000 deaths in the
December disaster.

The islands are a paradise for adventurous surfers. Big waves
break over the coral reefs offshore, and the tropical climate and
remote location keep away all but the most dedicated board
riders.

SurfAid was started by Dr. Dave Jenkins, who first came to the
Mentawai islands with only one thing in mind: catching perfect
waves.

He was staying on a luxury yacht with all the modern
conveniences, living a life most surfers only dream about. That
changed when he hit the beach one afternoon and found villages
filled with hungry and sick children.

"It looked like paradise, then you go on shore and it all
changes," the New Zealander said. "I was optimistic. I thought if
(surfers) are coming here in big numbers, maybe there's a way of
coming and creating something unique and leaving a legacy by the
surfing world."

Jenkins, now 45, quit his job as a corporate doctor, sold his
house and moved to the Mentawais to set up SurfAid. When not
doing medical work, he and other volunteers surf.

"There's no reason why you can't combine the two and that's
why SurfAid works," said Dr. Ben Gordon, 35, who divides his time
between being a general practitioner in Fremantle, Australia, and
surfing around the world.

When the tsunami hit, SurfAid used its local contacts to get
to far-flung areas where no other aid had reached, helping an
estimated 70,000 survivors in the first two months.

"When the tsunami came ... it was a big chance to expand
quickly -- and it came through a very large wave. It was really
bizarre," Gordon said.

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On the Net:
SurfAid International: http://www.surfaidinternational.org
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Chris Brummitt reported this story from Indonesia's Nias Island
and Margie Mason reported from Simeulue Island.

GetAP 1.00 -- APR 1, 2005 07:10:45