Stab Magazine | An Eyewitness Account Of Death At Tombstones

Live Now: Chapter 11 Mini-Documentary With Dane Reynolds

2578 Views

An Eyewitness Account Of Death At Tombstones

A dark day at one of the world’s least user-friendly waves.

news // Jun 1, 2016
Words by stab
Reading Time: 2 minutes

It could happen to anyone. You chase a small one and turn around to see the entire ocean about to unload on your head. At Tombstones, arguably the heaviest reef in the world, the consequences are particularly dire. This is the sequence of events that most likely preceded the death of a 55-year-old man two days ago at Gnaraloo, according to eyewitnesses and those involved in the rescue.

“The old boy was out there with his son, who’s in his thirties,” recalls photographer Mike Riley, who was on the beach watching it unfold. “His old boy took off on a small one, a couple of eight footers came behind it sucking dry, and he just got stuck in the worst position when he came up, and had one land on him and drive him straight into the reef.”

Tombstones is a vicious wave – as evil, hollow, and riddled with steps as it gets. According to the people who know, it’s responsible for more serious injuries than any other wave in the world.

“So many injuries at that wave, more injuries than I’ve ever seen,” says Kalbarri tube specialist and Tombstones regular, Ry Craike. “People lose half their face. I’ve had my fair share of injuries up there, snapped one of my ligaments in my knee. Kerb (Brown) has been done up there, Antman lost half his face, fucken heaps of hideous injuries just because of heaps of jagged rock, and when the tide starts getting low it gets pretty gnarly.”

It was low tide and as dangerous as it gets when Sunday’s incident occurred. The set that did the damage was the first of a pulse that would last all through the morning. The 55-year-old was reached first by Kalbarri charger Jake Perkins, and noted underground hellman, Luke Mchugh, from Carnarvon. They’d worn the same set on the head, though were further in, out of the immediate impact zone, escaping unscathed. After watching the man’s board go over the falls on consecutive waves, they raced toward him, turning him over to discover head injuries and no sign of responsiveness. A fireman, who was also in the water at the time, confirmed there was no pulse and took charge of the daring rescue effort. The whole lineup assisted in helping get the man back to shore. Meanwhile, the ocean continued to pulse, hammering set after set on the rescue team. Leg ropes became tangled, boards were sacrificed and the crew were washed perilously close to the bombora. The man was lost amidst the chaos a couple of times, followed by frantic efforts to recover him. The crew made it to shore but nothing could be done. As the son mourned his father on shore, Tombstones continued to thunder 10 foot slabs down the reef behind. The lineup was left deserted for the rest of the morning out of respect to the deceased.

Stab would like to offer its condolences to the family of the deceased and thank everyone involved in the rescue effort.

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

Pittar’d And Feathered

Do the WSL judges deserve the internet's wrath? We asked the man of the hour.

Mar 28, 2024

Robbo, Pickles, And Tyler Wright Become The Underdogs Breakfast At Uninspiring Winkipop

The foreboding blade sharpens and inconsistent judging prevails on Day Two in Torquay.

Mar 27, 2024

“I Don’t Always Win Heats, But When I Do, I Try To Beat John John”

Slater shines and the axe begins its descent on Day 01 at Bells.

Mar 26, 2024

Back Against The Wall: The Ramzi Boukhiam Redemption

Morocco's first CT surfer on speaking six languages, having no coach, and snatching Fil Toledo's…

Mar 25, 2024

Will Kirra, Babies or JJF Stop a GOAT Winning at Bells?

Bluesky BOAG advice from a Superman specialist and former Trials winner.

Mar 25, 2024

Bells Preview: The WSL’s Victorian Sword Dancing Equinox Ritual

Will a Brazilian crack the Top 10 at Bells?

Mar 25, 2024

69 Shin Bones Later + the Anticlimactic State of Big Wave Record-Breaking

Lucas Chumbo might have surfed the biggest wave ever this year. But how will we…

Mar 23, 2024

Watch: ‘Fresh and Fried’ Ft the Quik Kids

How taxing is it to tackle the Gold Coast’s Triple Crown in a single day,…

Mar 23, 2024

The Popular Vote: The People’s Stab In The Dark With Kolohe Andino Champion

Which board looked best — to you —under Kolohe's talons?

Mar 22, 2024

João Chianca Opens Up About His Brain Injury, Rehabilitation, And Targeted Return To Competition  

"I don't just want to be the same surfer that I was. I don't even…

Mar 21, 2024

Six Key Learnings From Portugal

Three CT events in, what do we know? 

Mar 21, 2024

‘Zipper’ Is Going On Tour, Here’s Where You Can Watch It  

Dates, times + locations for the Venice, Encinitas, Sydney + Byron premieres.  

Mar 20, 2024

Dane Reynolds On His Future, His Past, And Chapter 11’s Raison D’être

Our 9-minute plunge into the collective psyche of Ventura's pillar(s).

Mar 20, 2024

From ‘Blue Ribbon Cross Country Runner’ to Vogue – How Steph Again Is Back With A Rip Curl Remix

Everything we know about the she-GOATs sponsorship boomerang.

Mar 18, 2024

Stab Interview: Darren Handley Explains Why You Can’t Buy The Winning Stab In The Dark Model

And his decades-long standoff with Slater.

Mar 17, 2024

Griff Embraces Portugal’s Eternal Time Loop To Vanquish Medina + Ewing, Defay Delays The Inevitable

A redeeming closing act at Supertubos.

Mar 16, 2024

The Secret Behind Lungi Slabb’s Inconceivable Greenmount Funnel

Six broken boards, one leaking forehead, and five days of Superbank mysticism.

Mar 16, 2024

Cheat Codes: A Million Miles Worth Of Travel Advice From Coco Ho

Hard-earned wisdom from more than 2,000 hours in the troposphere.

Mar 15, 2024
Advertisement