We're not "complacent". We know what the oceans are like, we swim in them all of the time and obsess about currents, rips, phases of the moon, tides, and temperature. It's the people who can't really swim and don't respect Mama Ocean, who decide to flounce around in that unforgiving surf when only a lunatic would be in the water, that one should worry about.Officials worried about complacency as Matthew nears Florida https://t.co/IHkFJ49PQE pic.twitter.com/NDQlAtHCtz— Hartford Courant (@hartfordcourant) October 5, 2016
The waves are primo the day before a hurricane's serious edge hits. So much so that there is actually an International Order of Hurricane Surfers [of which this writer is a three-time member] that is dedicated to making sure that these waves are surfed by experienced watermen. To date, no member of the Order has ever even been hurt surfing these waves. Complacent, indeed.