Malaria Don’t Surf  - Stab Mag

Now Unlocked: Chippa Wilson Stars In "Zipper"

2024 Views
"I went to the hospital in pretty bad shape. Once I got there they confirmed I had malaria with a high % of bacteria. I stayed for eight days. At times I was really scared because the fever wasn’t subsiding for a few days" - Aritz Aranburu.

Malaria Don’t Surf 

Aritz Aranburu gets bit by evil bug on quest to swat empty African lineups.

elsewhere // Aug 15, 2022
Words by Ethan Davis
Reading Time: 2 minutes

“It feels like I’ve been hit by a truck.”

Remember the millennium goals? Them eight lofty ambitions established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000, uttered daily in morning affirmations by the morally pure/awaken/superior. 

Was the flavor of the month for a while. 

“The peace researcher John Galtung pointed out that if a newspaper came out once every 50 years, it would not report half a century of celebrity gossip and political scandals. It would report momentous global changes such as the increase in life expectancy” – Steven Pinker. Nice one guys!

Anyhowz. They were meant to be accomplished by the year 2015. Seven years ago.

Aww, don’t be so hard on yourselves guys. 

We’re here for a good time, not a long time, amiright? 

Aritz Aranburu, Natxo Gonzalez, Kepa Acero and Jon Bakio recently traveled to Africa in search of new waves. 

They did just fine. 

“But then two weeks after the trip I started having really high fevers for three days in a row,” says Aritz. “My temperature was going up and down every couple hours and I had a fever and shaking chills.”

If you ever find yourself slumped over in a canoe wearing a hazmat suit, the night is still young.

“I went to the hospital in pretty bad shape. Once I got there they confirmed I had malaria with a high % of bacteria. I stayed for eight days. At times I was really scared because the fever wasn’t subsiding for a few days, but all the doctors and nurses took good care of me and everything has started going back to normal. Currently, I’m back home continuing with the recovery. Still feels like I’ve been hit by a truck.”

So Aritz will be fine and Malaria is still a thing. 

Perfect funnels unfurl across a humanless west African landscape.

Noughties goal #6 – box remains unchecked. 

To all the mosquitos that told me I’d never amount to nothing.

2035 goalz?

Wishing Aritz a speedy recovery.

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

Erin Brooks And Mikey McDonagh Summit Freshly Spawned Mountain Of Challenger Series Rankings

Perfect 10s, phallic polyurethane, and numerous benthic vortexes marked the Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro.

May 4, 2024

Paul Fisher Resurrects Iconic Dick Board, Inadvertently Saves The WSL

Surfing's gone soft? Take this blue pill.

May 3, 2024

2 Australian Surfers, 1 American Still Missing In Baja California, Mexico

Three suspects have been arrested, a truck was found burned, but the friends remain "missing".

May 2, 2024

Zipper Offcut: A Pacific Island Micro-Wedge

Chippa, Harry, Dion, a hazardous ramp, and a near fiberglass-vasectomy.

May 2, 2024

UNLOCKED: Chippa Wilson Stars In ‘Zipper’ — A Surf Film By Stab & Monster

Featuring Filipe Toledo, Harry Bryant, Bobby Martinez, Eithan Osborne, Taro Watanabe, and Dion Agius.

May 2, 2024

Is Nat Young’s 4.03 A Symbol Of Surf Judging Demise, Or A Harmless Scoring Aberration?

World champs, super coaches, WSL commentators and more sound off on the state of surf…

May 1, 2024

How Stretch And Nathan Fletcher SpaceX’d Surfboard Design Into The Future

“I brought the boards to Hawaii and everybody laughed at me. Everyone except Michael Ho…

Apr 30, 2024

Doug Silva Is The Skullet-Locked 12x World Party Champ Working Wonders For Seth Moniz’s Tour Trajectory

Here's how he uses EDM + storytelling to snap talent into 'infected alligators'.

Apr 30, 2024

Marti Paradisis On The New Shipsterns Safety Initiative + The Laziness Of Bandwagoning Swell Carnivals

Before calling Shipsterns Bluff and getting flexed, read this. 

Apr 28, 2024

Full Frame: A 15-Minute, One-Wave Pipe Session

"Oh shit, that was kind of nuts, I think I think I'm just gonna go…

Apr 27, 2024

Want Half-A-Brain? Keep Calling Helmets Lame

Kai Lenny surfs hideous Jaws + Mavs + Waimea, joins esteemed list of surfers to…

Apr 27, 2024

80 Men And 48 Women Enter The CS Gauntlet — Only 15 Will Survive

Your 2024 Challenger Series x Gold Coast Pro preview.

Apr 26, 2024

The Best Surfing I’ve Ever Seen: Nate Lawrence

Kolohe, Cola Bros, Luke Davis, Crane, and "the most magical 3 weeks ever had in…

Apr 25, 2024

Snapper To Return To The CT In 2025(!) + WSL Announces Season Wildcards

Next year is looking up. Here's what we know...

Apr 25, 2024

Kelly Slater Will Surf In Tahiti And Fiji CT Events — And He’s Bringing A Secret Weapon With Him

What's it like to coach an 11x champ? We asked Glenn "Micro" Hall.

Apr 24, 2024

Watch: A Masterclass In Belated Drops At The Teepee Capital Of The World

And the rest of the O’Neill team sticks the landing in Hawaii.

Apr 24, 2024

How Sophie McCulloch Broke Her Back At The Box Three Days After Being Cut From The CT

The untold brutal side story of finals day in WA.

Apr 24, 2024

The Cut Wasn’t The Surf Fans’ Idea — But It Might Be Our Fault

Psychoanalyzing surfing’s highly sadistic audience (us!).

Apr 23, 2024
Advertisement