Bede Durbidge nearly died last year. During the same run of dangerous swell that drowned Evan Geiselman and may have ended Owen Wright’s career, Durbidge fell on a wave at Pipeline and shattered his pelvis. It’s more than likely that you’ve heard the story of the wipeout, but what wasn’t so public was the work Bede put into his comeback. That’s because Bede’s not the kind of guy who’ll brag about how much work he does. He’s the kind of guy that simply does the work.
After surgeons crammed him full of plates, rods, and screws, Bede began a very long, very painful road to recovery. Six months later, Bede was finally able to start surfing again.
Surgeons inserted a 17 cm rod, a metal plate, and four screws to hold him together. Photos: Facebook
Riding a 7’6 single fin, he tentatively began working his way back to his previous form, intent on surfing at Pipeline again. The Haleiwa event, of course, was his first foray back into the contest world. And while he didn’t do as well as he probably hoped, the simple achievement of pulling on a jersey again deserves a trophy of its own.
Above is part one of MySurf.tv’s documentation of Bede’s return. See more from them here.
