Competing in the Air Tahiti Nui Billabong Pro Trials for a chance to join his brother and ASP WCT No. 5 Michel Bourez in the Billabong Pro Tahiti, Kevin Bourez suffered a horrific wipeout, plummeting head first into the reef. Six to eight-foot barrels rammed into what is likely the tour’s most precarious stretch of reef, setting up dangerous conditions for the 32 wildcard hopefuls. Tuamata Puhetini and Nathan Hedge finished 1st and 2nd, respectively, but it was the younger Bourez who left onlookers gasping.
In a statement released by the ASP, event organizers said that doctors had informed them that Kevin was in stable condition after “four hours of surgery from multiple head fractures as well as deep facial lacerations.” He is currently being closely monitored. It should be noted that despite being driven off in an ambulance, Bourez won his heat.
The bloody images are terrible enough — but it’s the sheer force with which you see Kevin thrown over the lip and off the wave that makes you really appreciate the magnitude of the wipeout. Our thoughts are with him for a speedy recovery.
