Just months ago, British big-wave surfer Tom Lowe nearly died in Tahiti.
The Teahupo’o wipeout went down April 28th during the first swell of the South Pacific season. Lowe scrapped into a wave, got pitched on the takeoff, and catapulted headfirst to the bottom. As a result, he suffered a punctured lung and five broken ribs.
It was a seriously sketchy situation; Lowe was lucky to make it out alive.
But now, a mere six months later, Lowe is claiming he’s “100%” ready for this upcoming big-wave surf season and, specifically, “getting amped for Hawaii!!!”
Per a clip posted to his social media (see above), Lowe posted a presumed throwback in which he charges some certifiably gigantic Pipeline bombs.
And per his caption, expect to see more of that this season from Lowe?
Here’s the full breakdown of what happened in Tahiti, as recounted by Lowe during a video call with fellow big-wave charger, Jamie Mitchell:
“This was the heaviest situation I’ve ever been in by far. I’ve never nearly died like that, not to that level. This was as real as it’s ever been.
“I was just taking my time, just trying to reconnect with the place. I didn’t go straight into send-it mode. It was a really relaxing session. I had a couple warm-up waves. I got one beating just to wash off the nerves. Then, the second one was a little six-foot tube. I got the feet on the wax. That was nice.
“Then I thought I was just going to be patient. I went and sat on the shoulder to wait for my wave. One of the bigger waves of the day popped up, the channel went all blue. By no means do I have much experience out there, but I turned and went late. I jumped [from the lip], but I wouldn’t even say it was an awkward jump. I’ve jumped like that a million times. When I hit the water, I put my hands over my head, and was ready to get sucked over. I was on autopilot. I’ve done that a million times in a million waves.
“But as soon as I went up and over, I knew I was gonna hit [the reef]. It hit so hard on my side, that I knew it was gonna be bad. When I came up, I couldn’t breathe. I had this big cut going on. My shoulder, elbow, ribs…I was all broke up. I couldn’t shout or wave. My shoulder was broken, too. All I could do was use my other arm to keep my head above water.
“In my mind, I was like ‘I will make it; I will make it to the beach. I need medical help.’ It was the most pain I’ve ever felt. It’s incredible what the mind and spirit can do when you know you’re f*cked.”
Good to see Tom Lowe back, yo.
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