Bede’s wife, Tarryn Durbidge, visibly shaken as her husband is carried off the beach by the medical staff. Photo: WSL / Kirstin Scholtz
Today, Bede Durbidge was added to the extensive list of surfers who suffered horrific wipeouts while surfing at the world’s most baneful wave. Minutes into his heat with fellow Fox teammate Keanu Asing, Bede threw himself over the ledge on a classic Pipe bomb, falling short and ultimately slamming into the sharp, treacherous reef below. Bede seemed to be in serious pain as he was carried off the beach and straight to the emergency room for further examination.
As C.J. Hobgood and John John Florence kicked off Round 5, Commissioner Kieren Perrow provided an update on the extent of Bede’s injuries, stating that he fractured his pelvis in two places.
Following Bede’s wipeout (0:33 marker), fellow teammate and competitor Keanu Asing shared his concerns for his good friend’s well-being. “We’re competitors temporarily, but friends forever,” said Keanu in his post-heat interview. “This wave is very serious. I don’t wish the worst upon anybody. I just hope everybody’s okay.”
Bede’s wipeout comes just days after Owen Wright and Evan Geiselman suffered similar wipeouts at the very same spot. We’re wishing Bede a speedy recovery.
