British born big-wave surfer Tom Lowe nearly died recently in Tahiti.
Lowe was there, like a lot of swell-chasing, screw-loosed surfers, for the opening swell of the season at the famed lefthand slab, Teahupo’o. But the day before the day, Lowe suffered a serious wipeout during a warm-up session. He was hurt…badly.
And now, for the first time, we’re hearing the whole story from Lowe about what went down. Fellow big-wave surfer Jamie Mitchell called up Lowe to hear the tale:
“This was the heaviest situation I’ve ever been in by far,” Lowe began. “I’ve never nearly died like that, not to that level. This was as real as it’s ever been.”
Okay, take it from the top, Tom:
“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.”
Incredibly, Lowe wasn’t picked up by a jetski after the wipeout; instead, he doggie-paddled all the way to shore before receiving help. Finally, he received medical attention and was airlifted to the hospital. Talk about perseverance over adversity.
Hit play on the video above to hear the whole harrowing story.
And to help support Tom’s recovery – since his travel insurance won’t cover the medical costs – check out the GoFundMe page here.
Teahupo’o, Tahiti Stats/Info
Wave Type: Lefthand slab
Season: Spring – Fall
Skill Level: Experts only
Ideal Swell Direction: South, Southwest
Access: By boat
Upcoming Events: Shiseido Tahiti Pro (August 11th-20th); Paris 2024 Olympics (July 26th-August 11th, 2024)
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