A professional surfer and skateboarder has died following a seizure while riding waves in Costa Rica.
Kalani David was a Hawaiian-born athlete who suffered a seizure in the water on Saturday, his father says. The surfer was just 24 years old at the time of his death.
According to Kalani's Instagram page, the seizure was not an isolated incident. He had been seeking medical treatment about the issue and had been advised to stay away from surfing.
Clearly, the athlete loved the water too much to heed his doctor's advice. In a post written just 12 weeks ago, Kalani wrote, "With these seizures I keep having my neurologist said no driving and no surfing until I stop having them. I mean I could surf but, if I was to have one and don’t get saved in time I’ll either die or become a vegetable because I don’t have enough air to my brain."
He continued, saying that he kept "getting lucky" because he hadn't been injured yet, though he acknowledged he had some close calls. "The past couple years been having seizures sleeping and just Angels watching over me cause idk how I keep getting so lucky and living thru it all. Time to get this stuff in order so I can move ahead in life, at least I can skate and fish!" In the post, he said that it was time for "redirection" because he understood that he needed to stop ignoring the issue.
Kalani was an incredibly accomplished surfer and skateboarder. He had competed worldwide and was a well-known athlete. At just 14, he won team gold and individual gold at the 2012 ISA World Junior Surfing Championship in Panama.
According to a 2019 Men's Journal article written about Kalani, he had an open-heart surgery to correct a rare condition. The operation was supposed to help with the persistent seizures. But even after the procedure, he continued to experience episodes.
A fellow professional surfer shared a moving sentiment about the loss on Instagram. Kelly Slater wrote, "Kalani was one of the most talented ever surfer/skaters on Earth, constantly pushing the limits every time he was on his feet….Condolences to the huge community of friends Kalani had coast to coast and across the globe."
