Stab Magazine | French Professional Surfer Nearly Loses Fingers In Hydrofoil Propellor Incident

Now Live: "Zipper" — A Film By Stab & Monster

1849 Views

French Professional Surfer Nearly Loses Fingers In Hydrofoil Propellor Incident

Warning: graphic imagery. 

news // Dec 28, 2019
Words by stab
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Yo Will Aliotti, you ok dude?

In a recent Instagram post, the Caribbean-born, French-based professional revealed a mitt so mangled that it arrested our scroll and incited slight nausea (you can see the gruesome injury below, but don’t say you haven’t been warned). 

Luckily for Will, doctors were able to locate and reattach his missing digit, while also rectifying the other twisted stalk. Aliotti is expected to keep his fingers, but we are unsure of what their future functionality will be. 

Will’s caption reads [sic]: 

Good news !! I got to keep my fingers … it’s going to take a fews weeks to hill.. the surgery went pretty well as you can see . This is pretty much a recap of what happened during this last 3 days and how I did it … thank you for all the message, friends from Saint Martin and my queen @sdefrutos and mum to be there for me anytime

(LAST GRUESOME PHOTO WARNING)

Screen Shot 2019 12 27 at 9.12.42 AM

Before.

  

Screen Shot 2019 12 27 at 8.55.36 AM

After.

We asked Will what, exactly, caused his morbid disfingering. 

“Yes, well it’s pretty easy,” Will responded. “I wanted to try this propellor foil board because it looked pretty fun. Then I fell, and the blade has no cage, so it chopped up my fingers.”

Screen Shot 2019 12 27 at 9.05.00 AM

“The brand is called Takuma, Will continued. “I wanna show that this is fucking dangerous and that anyone could get really hurt. As you can see, there is no cage to protect you from those carbon blades! Anything can enter. I got super lucky to keep all my fingers—they were almost gone, but the surgery went pretty well. I have now a few months to scar and get out the metal, then I’ll be back in the water.”

foil electrique e takuma blue 600x600

Anyone who’s ridden a standard hydrofoil would be quick recognize their inherent danger, both to the rider and anyone in her path. Strapping an unguarded propellor to this already-lethal pillar is a recipe for dismemberment.

In fact, mangled fingers are about the best outcome one could hope for when dancing atop its spinning blades. The theoretical alternatives are much, much worse. 

Like, for instance, people knowing you rode a propellor hydrofoil. 

Heal up quick, Will. And keep your hands out of the kooky jar!

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

Surprise! Margies Ran At Southside Today

No rest for the wicked - day 5 WA recap.

Apr 18, 2024

A Dispatch From The Best Run Of Swell Northwest Australia May Ever See

Three weeks of pumping surf, two decades ago, that changed this writer's life.

Apr 17, 2024

Nichols, Silva + Spencer Cut, Robinson Lives To Fight Another Day

Waiting: a polite term for slowly losing your mind - here's what happened in WA…

Apr 17, 2024

The Pupo Brothers Will Face Off At Margs, And Only The Winner Can Stay On Tour

Let's look at every match-up that will seal a CT surfer's fate.

Apr 16, 2024

THE KING IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE GOAT

After 30 seasons on tour, 56 event wins & 11 world titles, Kelly Slater has…

Apr 16, 2024

Slater Takes His Last Dance, 7 More Men Axed From The CT

Day 3 WA recap.

Apr 16, 2024

Did Kelly Slater Just Retire?

3 decades, 56 event wins, and 11 World Titles later.

Apr 16, 2024

Goofies Dominate, Ewing Detonates, The GOAT Is Led To Slaughter

Once cut, twice shy.

Apr 15, 2024

The Eddie Gets A New Headline Sponsor, Coca Cola Group Stickers A 2x World Champ, The Tractor Scoops Up 2x SSOTY Winner + SITD Star Parts Ways With O’Neill

The surf industry is showing signs of life — here's a Q1 2024 update.

Apr 13, 2024

The Best Surfing I’ve Ever Seen: Duncan Macfarlane

Covid cleared the lineup while Rasta, Creed and Wade went to work.

Apr 13, 2024

The Stab Interview: Actor Jeffrey Wright

The Oscar nominee for "American Fiction" on what Hollywood can learn from surf films, why…

Apr 13, 2024

This Would Be The Best Surf Trip Of 99.9% Of Surfers’ Lives

Surfline and O'Neill manage to score untouched zones (again) + Soli Bailey adds more inertia…

Apr 12, 2024

Chippa Wilson Stars In ‘Zipper’ — A Surf Film By Stab & Monster

Featuring Filipe Toledo, Harry Bryant, Bobby Martinez, Eithan Osborne, Taro Watanabe, and Dion Agius.

Apr 11, 2024

A Big Ol’ Flaccid Salad

It was hard to be charitable about the opening day in WA.

Apr 11, 2024

Stab Interview: A Rare Glimpse Into The Mind Of World Number 2, Ethan Ewing 

On his favourite surfer (not who you'd think), high-budget surf films, and what it will…

Apr 10, 2024

Full Framey: How Soli Bailey Seized The Wave Of The Swell Event (Again)

A land angle of the backless time-warp and a firsthand encapsulation of the Tasmanian expedition.

Apr 10, 2024

Dead Reckoning: A Western Australia Margaret River Pro Preview

Can John regain his 2017/19 glory? Will Tyler and Gab make the cut?

Apr 9, 2024

There’s A Razor-Sharp Guillotine Hovering Over Two 3x World Champs in WA

Margaret River Boardriders Prez says ‘put your BOAG money on Pinto + Pickles’

Apr 9, 2024
Advertisement