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Tahitian surfer Eimeo Czermak was sent to the hospital following a wipeout at the Vans Pipe masters in Oahu. Though details on the specific nature of his injury are scant, social media posts from Eimeo reveal that he was hurt after being sent head-first into the water during the competition.
“This was probably one of the hardest and scariest moment of my life,” Czermak wrote in an Instagram post showing him in a hospital bed, wearing a neck brace. “I don’t know if I can even talk about what happened after I left the contest, so I’m gonna keep it to myself, but I’m so happy and grateful to be alive and looking forward to healing. I am really disappointed in myself for what I’ve showed in this contest. It’s really hard for me to accept but it is what it is and at the end of the day I came so close to losing everything, but I’m alive and gonna be able to walk again hopefully soon so that’s what matters.”
The post also included a clip of the events leading up to his injury. In the video, Czermak attempts a takeoff on a wave that sends him flying head-first into the water. He’s then shown being taken out of the surf via jet-ski. Though he then exits the water under his own power, Eimeo can be seen touching his neck in pain. Czermak added in his Instagram post that he does not remember the events pictured in the video – a common symptom of a brain injury.
Eimeo concluded the post by saying that he was taking a break from social media to focus on his recovery.
