Who is Kalani David? Professional surfer and skateboarder dies after seizure during surfing

Skating prodigy and former surfing champion Kalani David reportedly died over the weekend. The 24-year-old passed away on a Costa Rican beach after suffering a seizure while surfing.

Kalani David Feeney Barrientos is a surfer and skateboarder, known worldwide by his first name. He was born in Hawaii to Costa Rican parents, David and Andrea. The young athlete suffered from Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a congenital heart disease. Having been diagnosed with the disease, David suffered from cases of paralysis and seizures from time to time.

However, his illness never kept David back from his athletic career. The surfer went on to succeed in not one but two sports simultaneously. David practiced both surfing and skateboarding from a very young age. He got his first break by winning the ISA World Junior Surfing Championship title in Panama in 2012. He won the title in the Under-16 category as a 14-year-old. Following this, David went on to win several titles while riding waves.

He took his last breath on Saturday morning in Playa Hermosa, Jacó, on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.

Kalani David’s inspiring fight with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

Kalani David’s Instagram page is filled with videos and pictures of the things he loves - surfing, skating, and fishing. David enjoyed surfing but many had earlier questioned his decision to pursue the sport despite his medical condition. He had previously suffered seizures caused by Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Kalani David suffered his first major seizure in August 2016 while in California. He was skateboarding at the time. The athlete later took to social media to share the experience of suffering a seizure. As per David’s description, he went into a seizure and fell on his face before waking up in an ambulance. He said that his heart stopped for a while but that he was lucky to come out of it alive. It is pertinent to note that Wolff-Parkinson-White can cause tachycardia, which forces the heart to beat rapidly at times.

David suffered yet another seizure during Christmas in 2016. He was rushed to the hospital from his home in Oahu as he seized for six hours. The late Hawaiian star was in a temporary coma for two days. Following this, the surfer underwent surgery in 2017 to remove the extra muscle from his heart that caused the seizures.

The former surfing champion went through multiple medical treatments due to his rare condition. In June, David posted a picture of himself tube riding, revealing that he had been advised against it. The surfer mentioned that his neurologist warned him against driving and surfing. He went on to state that he would “either die or become a vegetable” if he suffered from another complication from the disease. Interestingly, David was seen skateboarding in his last Instagram post, posted three weeks ago.

The young surfer wasn’t married. He has a brother, Keoni David. It is safe to say that Kalani David left behind a legacy as several famed surfers, including Kelly Slater. In his social media post, Slater called the 11-time world champion “one of the most talented ever surfer/skaters on Earth”.