Big Wave Surfer Hospitalized After Near-Death Wipeout
Tom Lowe is undergoing surgery in Tahiti.
Tom Lowe — a beloved and talented big wave surfer, husband, and father — is hospitalized in Tahiti with a punctured lung and five broken ribs after taking the elevator shaft on a set wave on Friday.
Before the incident, Tom was having a successful morning at Teahupo’o. He had already bagged a few barrels among the crowd of talented locals and traveling pros.
Conditions were improving minute by minute; Friday was the first day of the swell that Surfline has deemed, “the largest SW Pacific swell since ‘Code Red 2′”.
But midway through the morning Tom took off late on a set wave, was forced to eject, and fell head first into the reef (you can watch the clip of Tom’s wave here).
He was picked up and taken to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a punctured lung and five broken ribs.
Luckily, despite the injuries, Tom is in stable condition in a Tahitian hospital. He is expected to be there for a few more days, as he continues to undergo a series surgeries.
Due to Tom’s travel insurance not covering his treatment, there is a GoFundMe organized by fellow big-wave stand-out Greg Long that you can consider donating to to help the cause:
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