Soon after a surf session on a crisp, sunny day in Pacifica, Matteo Farinacci felt queasy. A few days later, as he was at the airport preparing to board, he collapsed.
“Everything went black,” he said.
At the hospital, Farinacci heard that his surfing buddies that day in 2023 had also gotten sick. Medical tests ultimately showed Farinacci had several infections, which he now believes he picked up from swallowing contaminated seawater while surfing…