In a column published by The InerΩtia, former professional surfer and former editor of Surfer and Surfing magazine, Sam George strongly questioned the motive behind the deaths of the five surfers at Scheveningen Beach in the Netherlands on May 11.

George titles his article by asking: “Was the sea spray really to blame for the deaths of 5 people?” And he begins by giving his credentials: “I have been surfing since 1967, my study of the sport goes back centuries, yet I have never heard of anything like this.”

“Statistically, death in surfing is extremely rare. Losing five surfers in a single incident is extremely rare,” says George, who in the note reviews the opinions of various specialists and locals who also contribute their level of doubt about the rarity of the case.

The most important factors taken into account are basically that the sea was not that deep (about three to four feet), that the surfers were experienced and that it seems strange that you cannot breathe through the high foam that is being talked about.

"How did these surfers drown in one inlet, while 300 yards away in another inlet people continued surfing until later in the evening?" said The Hague's night mayor, Pat Smith.

“Lost in the foam, easy enough to understand, but somehow, drowned in the foam? That’s a much more provocative possibility to address,” George says.

Katya Phillippant, a senior scientist specialising in coastal ecology at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Marine Research, wrote: "I am not aware of any cases where people have suffocated on sea foam (…) However, there was a lot of foam."

"How is it possible that so many experienced surfers were completely taken by surprise by this, and in a spot they knew so well?"  said Johan Remkes, Mayor of The Hague, in a public statement.

The columnist ends by referring to a situation experienced by one of the most experienced big wave surfers in history, Greg Long, who, after coming out of a tumble, found himself wrapped in a thick foam that prevented him from breathing. He says that the surfer wiped the foam off his face and that the long period between waves gave him time to breathe.

He reflects on the fact that the North Sea period was much shorter that day and that this may have been a determining factor.

The results of the autopsies on the Scheveningen Five are expected to be released next week.