Matt Bromley Grateful To Be Alive After 9’6” Gun Spears Head, Spares Brain At Puerto Escondido

On Friday, South African big wave surfer Matt Bromley suffered head injuries at Puerto Escondido, after being struck by the nose of his 9’6″ big wave surfboard in 10-15ft surf.

Miraculously, Matt appears to be okay, with the exception of some facial swelling around the site of the wound. The same cannot be said for the nose of his heavily-glassed 9’6″ Dave van Ginkel (see below).

Physiology/materials experts feel free to chime in here – How does bone crush a 6oz-glassed stringer and not the other way around? 

“There is nothing wrong with the bone, no fracture, no cracking. It was just all muscle and tissue and skin that was affected,” No Contest producer Alan Van Gysen (AVG) told Stab, who witnessed the event from the sand. 

“We’ve had some time to let the dust settle and we phone some specialists back home in South Africa to get a second opinion,” explains AVG. “The doctors and treatment here were really good. I think most importantly, it’s just incredible that Matt is actually in very little pain, which is the best case scenario. The nose of his 9’6” missed his eye by millimeters and the wound was really, really exceptionally wide and quite long – running from his eyebrow all the way to the top of his head. The inflammation and the swelling has been normal for this kind of injury. We’re past the concussion concerns, he’s been completely himself and resting well. We’re just watching out to make sure there’s no infection over the next couple of days. Watching him take that beating and then have four waves afterwards pounding him and ripping him out to sea was really gnarly to watch.”

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“The local lifeguards tried to put the jet ski in the water, but it instantly broke down and a huge set smashed it back into the shore. Matt was left having to fend for himself, but once he got through the last wave, just trying to stay conscious, some surfers came to his aid who were really, really amazing, especially these one or two young chaps. They made sure that he was safe and paddled him across to a safe spot where they could rally down a fishing boat. A guy stopped and loaded Matt into his boat and brought him safely at the corner of Puerto. It just shows you how quickly these things can happen.”

Matt will be heading back to Cape Town this week, a two-day journey, to get further tests and scans to clear him. “Matt’s father is quite well connected with a lot of big, well respected doctors, so they’ll do some checks and all that and he’s definitely going to need a plastic surgeon to make sure that that scar is better stitched. The doctor just did a very simple exterior job so that if there is any infection it can ooze out,” 

Matt and AVG pass on their gratitude to Edwin Morales, Juan Juan Fischer and the doctors at Hospital Ángel del Mar (Angel of the Sea) for their assistance. “I think it’s just a good thing for those of us who are in the world of media to remind people that Matt is one of the best big way surfers in the world and he got injured here. Puerto is super heavy and there’s quite a lot of people that come out here not knowing how gnarly the wave is. It’s just like these giant 15 to 20 foot waves just pounding the dry sand. Just make sure you are prepared and willing to take the risks,” he cautions.