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Russell Bierke is no stranger to the inherent dangers of surfing stupidly heavy waves, but a few days ago, the Australian was given a painful reminder.
At the end of January, a serious pulse hit Australia’s east coast. Bierke, who cut his teeth on some of the heaviest waves in the area, made sure as always to be there. He’s a regular face in the lineup at some of Australia’s heaviest slabs, but even the best aren’t immune to wipeouts. But when the waves get big, so too do the consequences.
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Bierke fell on a wave, then skipped down the face a few times. When he finally penetrated the wave, he slammed into the reef and opened up the flesh on his forearm, just beneath the inside of his elbow. “Got slammed hard on the bottom and my elbow found a sharp bit of reef,” he explained.
Fortunately, the wound didn’t penetrate the really important bits in Bierke’s arm. “Thankfully missed my arteries and muscle,” he continued, “so I’ll be back in the water by next week!”
According to his Instagram, Bierke’s is already back in the water and doing fine, but he was certainly humbled by the ordeal. “Always a good reminder to be prepared in serious waves,” he said. “I feel like some people don’t take this place as seriously as they should.”
