Surf Helmets Are Still Super Trendy

A few months ago during an episode of the Pick-Up, we pointed out the increasing popularity of helmets at Pipeline. Today, even the folks at the New York Times are noticing the trend:

Wearing helmets pushes against the cultural tide at Pipeline, where surfers have always aimed to display how skilled and stylish they are, not necessarily how safe. The community celebrates bravado and prowess so much that it has a pejorative term — kook — for those who are oblivious, overly cautious or unskilled. Nobody wants to look like a child out for a bike ride with their mom and dad.

Wearing a helmet while surfing does look a bit goofy, but it’s better than plucking pieces of your brain out of the reef. The truth is no matter how good of a surfer someone is; they’re bound to fall from time to time. A slip at Pipeline could end your career in a heartbeat.

CT Vet Owen Wright has worn a helmet since he hit the reef in 2015 and suffered a near-fatal brain injury. Plus, only a few weeks ago, Mikey O’Shaughnessy took a heavy slam, except he was wearing a helmet. Considering the gath cracked on both sides, we assume it saved his life.

Does wearing helmet make you look silly? A tiny bit, but who cares. Catch the wave of the day and all those mouth breathing bullies won’t say a word.