The North Shore of Oahu rang in the New Year with the biggest swell of the 2019/2020 winter season (so far). With the Triple Crown and Pipe Masters in the rearview, and the holiday season in full swing, the lineup at Pipeline on December 31 was eerily empty, as a new, powerful west swell quickly grew in size and strength by the hour.
Big-Wave Surfing’s 5 Most Pivotal Moments of the Decade
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In the afternoon, big-wave charger Kohl Christensen picked off a beautiful-looking second reef roll-in (at the 10:15 mark in the video above). But, as the wave unloaded on the first reef and Christensen locked in, the wave stretched out too far down the line, and Christensen slipped as he tried to pump his 8-foot board inside the barrel, falling forward.
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Wishing this Pipeline charger a speedy recovery. Thank you to all who helped A post shared by northshorelifeguardassociation (@northshorelifeguardassociation) on Jan 1, 2020 at 8:47pm PST
While the wipeout didn’t look like anything special, everything went wrong underwater. It’s unclear whether it was the reef or Christensen’s own board, but something slammed into his head, knocking Christensen unconscious and sending him straight to the hospital for emergency surgery. Fortunately, the North Shore Lifeguards were able to act swiftly and save his life.
The 10 Best Feature Stories of the Decade From SURFER Magazine
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According to Christensen’s friend Casey Goepel, he is in stable condition and expected to recover fully. Goepel wrote this on Instagram yesterday: “Please send your thoughts and prayers to Kohl Christensen and his family. “Yesterday, at the end of a 2nd reef bomb, Kohl wiped out and hit his head on the reef. He cut his head open and fractured his skull. Thanks to the incredible team @northshorelifeguardassociation and first responders, Kohl was swiftly rescued and given the best care possible.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Casey Goepel (@casey_goepel) on Jan 2, 2020 at 1:11am PST
“After successful brain surgery, he’s exceeding all expectations and we’re hoping for a speedy recovery. We are eternally grateful for his surgical team at Queens. “At this time, Kohl needs to rest and heal. Please send him and his family positive thoughts and good energy as he embarks in a strong recovery.”
Watch: Counting Down the Best Surfing Clips From 2019
Read article
Christensen is actually a co-founder of the Big Wave Risk Assessment Group, which trains surfers in safety protocols for exact situations like this, and it’s not a stretch to say the techniques the BWRAG teach are partly responsible for saving Christensen’s life, along with the lives of surfers like Hayden Rogers, Dusty Payne, Kalani Chapman and Evan Geiselman, who have all suffered similar head injures at Pipeline in recent years. Yet another reminder that Pipeline is the world’s most dangerous wave. This article originally appeared in Surfer.com and was republished with permission.
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The North Shore of Oahu rang in the New Year with the biggest swell of the 2019/2020 winter season (so far). With the Triple Crown and Pipe Masters in the rearview, and the holiday season in full swing, the lineup at Pipeline on December 31 was eerily empty, as a new, powerful west swell quickly grew in size and strength by the hour.
Big-Wave Surfing’s 5 Most Pivotal Moments of the Decade
Read article
In the afternoon, big-wave charger Kohl Christensen picked off a beautiful-looking second reef roll-in (at the 10:15 mark in the video above). But, as the wave unloaded on the first reef and Christensen locked in, the wave stretched out too far down the line, and Christensen slipped as he tried to pump his 8-foot board inside the barrel, falling forward.
Big-Wave Surfing’s 5 Most Pivotal Moments of the Decade
Read article
Big-Wave Surfing’s 5 Most Pivotal Moments of the Decade
View this post on Instagram
Wishing this Pipeline charger a speedy recovery. Thank you to all who helped A post shared by northshorelifeguardassociation (@northshorelifeguardassociation) on Jan 1, 2020 at 8:47pm PST
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Wishing this Pipeline charger a speedy recovery. Thank you to all who helped
A post shared by northshorelifeguardassociation (@northshorelifeguardassociation) on Jan 1, 2020 at 8:47pm PST
While the wipeout didn’t look like anything special, everything went wrong underwater. It’s unclear whether it was the reef or Christensen’s own board, but something slammed into his head, knocking Christensen unconscious and sending him straight to the hospital for emergency surgery. Fortunately, the North Shore Lifeguards were able to act swiftly and save his life.
The 10 Best Feature Stories of the Decade From SURFER Magazine
Read article
According to Christensen’s friend Casey Goepel, he is in stable condition and expected to recover fully. Goepel wrote this on Instagram yesterday:
The 10 Best Feature Stories of the Decade From SURFER Magazine
Read article
The 10 Best Feature Stories of the Decade From SURFER Magazine
“Please send your thoughts and prayers to Kohl Christensen and his family.
“Yesterday, at the end of a 2nd reef bomb, Kohl wiped out and hit his head on the reef. He cut his head open and fractured his skull. Thanks to the incredible team @northshorelifeguardassociation and first responders, Kohl was swiftly rescued and given the best care possible.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Casey Goepel (@casey_goepel) on Jan 2, 2020 at 1:11am PST
A post shared by Casey Goepel (@casey_goepel) on Jan 2, 2020 at 1:11am PST
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
“After successful brain surgery, he’s exceeding all expectations and we’re hoping for a speedy recovery. We are eternally grateful for his surgical team at Queens.
“At this time, Kohl needs to rest and heal. Please send him and his family positive thoughts and good energy as he embarks in a strong recovery.”
Watch: Counting Down the Best Surfing Clips From 2019
Read article
Christensen is actually a co-founder of the Big Wave Risk Assessment Group, which trains surfers in safety protocols for exact situations like this, and it’s not a stretch to say the techniques the BWRAG teach are partly responsible for saving Christensen’s life, along with the lives of surfers like Hayden Rogers, Dusty Payne, Kalani Chapman and Evan Geiselman, who have all suffered similar head injures at Pipeline in recent years.
Watch: Counting Down the Best Surfing Clips From 2019
Read article
Watch: Counting Down the Best Surfing Clips From 2019
Yet another reminder that Pipeline is the world’s most dangerous wave.
This article originally appeared in Surfer.com and was republished with permission.
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!
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