Kalani David, a former world junior surfing champion, died in Costa Rica on Saturday following a seizure that occurred during practice.
David, 24, was surfing on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica when he “apparently suffered some kind of epileptic seizure and drowned,” the Judicial Investigation Agency of Costa Rica said, according to NBC News. His death is still under investigation. (RELATED: Ironman Athlete Dies In Horrifying Bike Crash In Pennsylvania)
Surfing champion Kalani David dead at 24 after suffering seizure in water https://t.co/11JTcgnkkE pic.twitter.com/YvuNpelDo0
— New York Post (@nypost) September 19, 2022
Born in Hawaii, David suffered from Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a congenital heart disease that caused paralysis and seizures, NBC News reported. He excelled in surfing despite the illness, winning the Junior World Surfing title in Panama in 2012, in the Under-16 category, according to the outlet.
In 2016, David had a seizure while at a skate park in California, an incident that left him feeling “lucky to be alive,” People reported. He suffered recurring seizures and hospital visits, and experienced a six-hour seizure just before Christmas that same year, according to Men’s Journal. David was put into a medically-induced coma for two days and underwent open-heart surgery, the magazine reported.
“Kalani was one of the most talented surfers/skaters in the world,” eleven-time world surfing champion Kelly Slater said, according to KITV News.
“He was constantly pushing his limits. My condolences to the great family and friends that Kalani had on every beach around the world.”