Jamie O’Brien surfs Pipe a lot. Since Pipeline is not exactly the safest wave in the world, injuries happen there. Deaths happen there. It’s a grim reality that surfers like Jamie O’Brien know too well, and recently, Jamie O’Brien got injured at Pipeline.
It’s not the first time — not even close. He’s broken both legs and sustained a million other bumps and bruises, and he knows full well that he’s risking his safety every time he goes out. “Multiple times, year after year, there’s a close call,” he said a few years ago. “You have to deal with that every summer. Thinking back, reflecting off of what happened and what could happen and what could possibly be in your future. To me, that’s the most scary thing about living here: you could die here, too.”
Thankfully, his most recent injury isn’t life threatening, but a tweaked knee can be extraordinarily painful. “Things happen,” he said. “You know, I risk my life surfing Pipeline. I guess at the end of the day, I’m lucky that my knee is the problem right now. I’m going to figure it out, get some x-rays, call the doctors, and try and figure out the right thing to do.”
Get better soon, Jamie.
