#Surfing - Champion Irish surfer Craig Butler was forced to cut a recent African waveriding trip short after falling victim to a spider bite.

As the Irish Independent reports, 20-year-old Butler received a bite from a false widow spider that left him dizzy and nauseated within a matter of hours.

Though not normally fatal, bites from these venomous arachnids - which are increasingly common in our more northern climes - can become infected and lead to serious complications.

That's the case with Butler, who returned to Ireland with a hugely swollen foot that prompted his concerned GP to refer him immediately to hospital.

As of yesterday morning, the multi-time Irish surfing champion from Tramore had been on a trolley at Waterford Regional Hospital for some hours awaiting a bed - and his appointment under the surgeon's knife.

It's not the first time he's dealt with a serious infection, after skipping treatment for a leg wound while surfing in France two years ago.

The Irish Independent has more on the story HERE.