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Episode details

World Service,1 min

'There's no atheist in the impact zone'

Heart and Soul

Available for over a year

Mikhail Thompson is a South African surfer and mentor who has administered a number of 'paddle-out' ceremonies during his lifetime. A paddle-out is a way of honouring someone who’s had a love for the ocean where surfers circle together in the ocean and float beyond the breakwater. It always mean one thing - that another surfer has died. He describes the profoundly spiritual experience of surfing waves, and how losing someone from the close-knit surfer community leaves a void. (Photo credit: BBC)

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