Tom Carroll, Nate Fletcher, And More Explain Why They Started Wearing Helmets

We chatted with Dusty Payne a few weeks ago about his new clip from Indonesia, which featured the best surfing the Hawaiian has done since his incident. 

I’m referring, of course, to the day in 2018 when Dusty very nearly died after cracking his head on the reef at Backdoor, remaining underwater for five waves, or 79 seconds, before being dragged up by his leash and resuscitated by a crew of quick-thinking surfers, filmers, and lifeguards.

When asked whether he uses helmets these days, Dusty answered in the negative.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to it if I was surfing some super shallow slab, but I haven’t worn one yet,” he said. “It would be nice if someone made them look a little cooler though [laughs].”

Last week, you read the story of why a measly Stab writer started wearing a helmet in heavier surf. The everyman’s tale, if you will. 

This week, I asked that same question to 10 of the world’s best surfers — Tom Carroll, Nathan Fletcher, Keala Kennelly, Albee Layer, Evan Geiselman, Owen Wright, Koa Smith, Al Cleland Jr., Kauli Vaast, and Parker Coffin — who have taken similar cranium-protecting oaths. Their stories are much more compelling than my own, with several of them having danced with death as a result of non-existent headgear. 

We also get to hear which helmets most of the top surfers use (hint: 80% of them wear the same brand) and what are the pros and cons of wearing headgear.

Hopefully, this piece will provide further insight into why a helmet might be a sound investment for every surfer and remove some of the “uncool” stigma that keeps pros and punters alike from strapping up when the surf goes horizontal. 

Let’s dig in. 

Nate Fletcher
Age: 47
Noteworthy: Holds the heaviest wave ever ridden at Teahupo’o, nearly drowned after getting caught in the rocks and cracking his head in Chile, continues to do huge airs into his late-40s
Helmet of choice: I’ve used most of the helmets on the market, and they’re the equivalent of grabbing some cheap watersports helmet from Walmart. When you’re surfing Jaws, Backdoor, or Pipeline, those are Formula 1 wipeouts. The only way the helmet is really gonna work is if the helmet is fitted to the person’s head. We need custom-fabricated headgear. I’m in the process of making one, but I really wish someone else would make them so I could just buy one [laughs].

What made you start to wear a helmet?
Tom Carroll was one of the first guys I ever saw wearing a helmet. I have so much respect for Tom as a person and a surfer, so I asked him why he wore one. He told me, “When you’re surfing Pipeline, you’re trying to avoid being in that one spot. But when you’re going 100%, chances are, you’re gonna put yourself in that spot. And when you get there, you’re gonna want a helmet on.

It’s also just common sense, for one. Every other extreme sport uses helmets. Even in skating, the first guy who showed up with a helmet probably got called an idiot, but now almost everybody wears one. It’s just the natural evolution — as surfers go bigger and harder, we need more protection.

Pros/cons of wearing a helmet?
Interestingly, since I’ve started wearing a helmet, I haven’t had many head cracks while surfing. I’ve knocked myself out plenty of times before, but I guess I’ve just been lucky lately. The thing is though, it doesn’t necessarily have to be about me — just wearing a helmet could give somebody else the idea that it’s okay to wear one.

Tom Carroll
Age: 59 
Noteworthy: 2x World Champion, one of the first mainstream surfers to adopt a helmet
Helmet of choice: Recently I have been using Soft Surf Helmet while foiling for the most part. A few times in winter I used the SSH on bigger days with longer equipment, simply to feel it. If I was to surf big Pipeline again, I’d probably give the SSH a go, but usually I’d move toward my Gath. The difference is obviously the hard-shell protection. The drawback with hard shell is the impact if you take a high-speed wipeout. This can compromise our neck. Which I’ve felt (back in the day). Soft Surf Helmet doesn’t have this drawback.

What made you start to wear a helmet? 
I started looking for a helmet to wear at Pipe after I saw Steve “Beaver” Massfeller sustain a head injury during the 1983-84 winter Pipeline Masters. 

To paint a picture: Beaver was one person who actually smiled and enjoyed his surfing fully. I thoroughly enjoyed this about him during my early years on the North Shore, when the majority in the lineup were “stink eye” aggressive mofos, so distant from the fun and all about who’s this or that. We would engage at big Sunset and be stoked. 

After his head injury, I didn’t see Beaver until the following winter (1984-85 winter was definitely a time when I wanted to push deeper into Pipe). I never forget seeing this fluoro orange head sticking out like dogs’ balls at Sunset and asking someone, “Who’s that dick”? 

That person said it was Beaver. 

“He’s back, but wearing that crazy helmet now.” 

I remember looking forward to seeing him and talking to him about his ordeal the previous winter. When the time came, I was shocked to the bone. He slurred his speech and was far from the bright Beaver I knew before. This moment sat me down hard. What’s it worth? And, do I find out the Beaver way and end up wearing a helmet after the fact? Knowing my injury tally from recent years, I searched for headgear…1987 Pipe Masters was my first event using one.

Pros/cons of wearing a helmet?
Wearing one took some getting used to. But once set into the senses, the helmet relieved anxiety, made me more relaxed, and let me sit steeper and deeper — the benefits became evident at all levels.

P.S: Nature doesn’t give a fuck who we are. She’ll slam the best of us and the coolest of us into that reef so freakin hard before we know it, we’ll wish we wore headgear. It hurts…

Owen Wright
Age: 31 
Noteworthy: Teahupo’o and Cloudbreak winner, one of the CT’s hardest chargers, suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury at Pipeline that sidelined him for a year
Helmet of choice: At the moment I wear a Gath Helmet that’s got flexible pieces where the ears are. Not sure the name. But I like the freedom my neck has in it and the protection I still get.

What made you start to wear a helmet? 
I started wearing helmets when I was young, like six years old, because I was surfing waves like Aussie Pipe and my old boy took me to Indo not long after that. Wearing a helmet on the reefs of course. 

Then I stopped wearing a helmet in heavy conditions, because none of my idols were wearing them. Now the shoe’s on the other foot — I grab a helmet whenever I feel out of my comfort zone and make sure kids know about it. I want them to feel like it’s a normal thing to protect your head for longevity in life and sport. If your brain is unhealthy often your life suffers.

Pros/cons of wearing a helmet?
Wearing a helmet now helps me continue to charge the waves I want to with slightly less risk of a serious head trauma. When I was young, I remember loving my helmet, especially at Aussie Pipe and Indo. Saved my head from stitches many times. The cons are negligible in my mind.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Parker Coffin (@parkercoffin)

Parker Coffin
Age: 25
Noteworthy: Stab High Central America finalist, nearly died while filming at Kandui for Psychic Migrations
Helmet of choice: Gath

What made you start to wear a helmet? 
I started wearing a helmet because I had one really scary accident in Indo where I hit my head and went unconscious. What we do is gnarly and if you’re pushing yourself, there’s a high likelihood you’re going to hit your head eventually. 

Pros/cons of wearing a helmet?
I was a little insecure at the start because some people gave me shit for wearing it my first session. It took a little getting used to, but now every time I put that thing on, I feel like I’m putting on a piece of armor and getting ready to go to battle. It gives me confidence knowing I’m doing my best to protect myself. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Koa Smith (@koasmith)

Koa Smith
Age: 26 
Noteworthy: Has had some of the longest barrels ever recorded, good at unboxing things.
Helmet of choice: I started with a Gath, with no ears. I liked it but hated when I fell on a big wave or duckdived because it would fill with water like a parachute. I then tested out the new Simba helmets and never went back. They cut through the water really nice, and your ears have room for better drainage and hearing!

What made you start to wear a helmet? 
I started wearing a helmet full-time after my second major concussion. Concussion 1, I got run over by a jet ski and was out of the water for six months. Concussion 2, I hit my head on the reef at Nias. I was out of the water for a year and thought I was never going to be able to surf again. 

Pros/cons of wearing a helmet?
At first, I wore it just to be extra safe, but then I got used to it and it actually made me feel safer. I’ve hit my head a couple times at Pipe with the helmet. Just small-kine, but still if I didn’t have a helmet I could have knocked out, cut my head, or at least ended my session.  

Evan Geiselman
Age: 28
Noteworthy: Christened the Japan pool with monstrous airs, nearly died at Pipeline after hitting his head on the reef.
Helmet of choice: Gath

What made you start to wear a helmet? 
I started wearing a helmet after my Pipe accident. That was enough of a scare to make me want to prevent that from ever happening again.

Pros/cons of wearing a helmet?
Mentally, wearing a helmet just gives a little more reassurance that if you do smack your head, your chances of getting knocked out are way less. Physically it’s a little weird with your peripheral vision, but that’s a worthwhile trade-off in my opinion. 

Albee Layer
Age: 30 
Noteworthy: Jaws bowl specialist, aerial pioneer, one of the few small-wave helmet wearers
Helmet of choice: I wear a Gath at the moment. I was working on developing one with another company, but they just kinda gave me the runaround and never followed through, which sucks. I swear with wavepools becoming a thing it’s a market that would make sense beyond just the very specialized surfers like myself. 

What made you start to wear a helmet? 
I actually use it more for really windy air waves than heavy surf. For me, it’s about avoiding unnecessary concussions. 

Pros/cons of wearing a helmet?
In big waves like Jaws, I feel it compromises your neck before it protects your brain. But I’ve broken my nose a couple times and slammed my head on the rail of my board trying airs. That’s what I want to avoid. 

It’s helped me have a little more confidence in trying certain things for sure. Like one less part of my body exposed. Especially after how many times I’ve hit my head — sometimes I feel like my board is magnetically attracted to it. 

Keala Kennelly
Age: 43 
Noteworthy: Big Wave World Champion, almost had her faced ripped off at Teahupo’o
Helmet of choice: Gath

What made you start to wear a helmet? 
I started wearing a helmet when towing into Chopes, because as you know I’ve smashed my head into the reef there a few times. 

Pros/cons of wearing a helmet?
Although I would prefer not to wear a helmet — because it’s much more comfortable without one — I can honestly say I’ve gotten body slammed on the reef towing massive Chopes and it probably prevented me from fracturing my skull and/or death.

Kauli Vaast
Age: 19 
Noteworthy: At the top of Teahupo’o’s modern generation, caught one of the biggest waves ever at Teahupo’o in 2021 
Helmet of choice: Gath’s EVA helmet

What made you start to wear a helmet? 
I started to wear a helmet when I was 11 years old in every condition — small waves and big waves. But now, I’m wearing the helmet only in heavier surf because it’s more dangerous. I also wear a bright-colored helmet because it’s easier to be seen by jet sky rescue when you’re in the whitewash. 

Pros/cons of wearing a helmet?
When I wear a helmet I feel safer, more focused on my session, and more confident.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Al Cleland Jr (@alan_jr_cleland)

Al Cleland Jr. 
Age: 19
Noteworthy: Prince of Pascuales, one of the best under-20 tube riders in the world
Helmet of choice: I wear a Gath helmet. It fits really well and is very strong for how light it is. I’ve hit my head on the bottom at Pipe and Backdoor and also really hard against my board, and it’s definitely saved me from hospital visits.

What made you start to wear a helmet? 
I started wearing a helmet because I hit my head really hard skating and almost died. I had several convulsions and I flat-lined for 5 minutes! After that accident, I realized how important it is to protect myself, whether it’s skating or surfing. 

Pros/cons of wearing a helmet?
Wearing a helmet definitely gives me a lot of physical and mental confidence, especially if you’ve had an injury before. Taking off on a bomb with a helmet on definitely gives you more confidence and helps you push your limits. They’re not great for duckdiving though.