I'll go along with a lot of what you say, but surfers do care. There are some overly motivated types who may be reckless, but my experience is for the most part they are cautious.60FT NDR:Here is a thought from someone raised by a military medical corp father who was always talking about staff infections. Talk this info or leave it.
Divers are under the surface, for the most part, in 7/5mm or better suits. We are almost fully protected from head to toe and we don't usually go in the water after a rain.
Surfers are on top of the water all the time (for HOURS at a time), unless they wipe out, in 5/3mm shorties at best and often just shorts. They don't care if there is any vis so they don't know what's in the water.
Dad says, "stay out of the water, like doc tells you, when you get a tattoo or stitches"
"Watch for sewage spills and high bacteria levels, rain run-off, etc and stay healthy."
I am not saying that we divers can't get it. Even I have cut myself underwater and continued the dive. But think about it, in my opinion, surfers just don't care about what they can't see.
Ruth
Add to your comments though, surfers are inside more often than divers, at least in my neighborhood. Most diving is 1/2 mile and more outside.
One of our locals just picked up a staff infection from a ZIT! on his head.
Wetsuit (or mask) would nit have helped.
