Extreme sports are defined by high speeds and/or high risk and usually are done outside of mainstream sports. Surfing may not be considered extreme by some but that depends on what and where you surf. When you’re surfing at Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, you get a sport with high risk due to the shallow, volcanic reef that is full of rough, jagged edges and spires located perfectly in surfers’ fall zones. More and more surfers are choosing to wear helmets when surfing at Pipe to protect their head and their life.
Helmets have been around for decades in many sports, but are not so widespread in surfing. Surfer Tom Carroll wore a whitewater rafting helmet at Pipe in 1987 and Australia’s Ricky Gath invented the first surf helmet that debuted in 1989. Today, helmets are becoming more widely worn by those in the water at waves around the world that are known for unfriendly conditions.
Kai Lenny is a professional water athlete from Maui, Hawaii, who has been surfing since he was four years old. For Lenny, water athlete means anything from big wave surfing and foiling to stand-up paddling (SUP), windsurfing, and free surfing. It means participating in competitions as well as chasing the biggest swells around the world. Da Hui Backdoor Shootout is a team event held at Pipeline with a variety of events, from longboard, shortboard, and SUP, to body surfing. The competition began on January 4 and ran every day that had swell, up until January 16.
Lenny was participating in a heat for the SUP division when he fell on a wave. After getting himself to shore, lifeguards sat him down in a chair and he ultimately was sent to the hospital.
From the hospital, Lenny shared an update on his concussion and bleeding out of his left ear. In that update, he also shared his gratitude for the lifeguards and medical staff that helped him as well as his helmet saying,
“First time wearing a helmet at Pipeline and it may have saved my life.”
— Kai Lenny on Facebook
Even if you consider it extreme or not, surfing at Pipe comes with danger. Maybe this professional surfer’s message will inspire others to wear helmets more often when in the water at Pipe or when surfing in other areas with extreme conditions.
