Tom Lowe, the British-born surfer known for charging massive waves, is recounting his recent brush with death in Tahiti. Last Thursday, while surfing Teahupo’o (also known as “Chopes”), Lowe experienced a brutal wipeout. After taking off on a wave, he was caught inside the foamball and held underwater for an extended period. Fortunately, surfers and lifeguards Sage Burke and Vetea David were nearby and immediately responded to the emergency.

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lowe shared a photo from the hospital, reflecting on the incident. “So here we are,” Lowe stated. “What are the chances of having another near-death at Teahupo’o the first time back surfing it. Thankful it wasn’t my time again. I don’t remember anything about the accident at all, besides coughing up water and blood in the marina. I was under for 2 or 3 minutes the guys said…must have got knocked out on the reef or blacked out from the hold down. Feels pretty scary not remembering anything.”

Eyewitness Account of the Wipeout

Photographer and filmer James Ferrell witnessed the event unfold.According to Ferrell, Lowe “made the drop, just didn’t have enough speed, and he hit the west bowl foamball area. He kinda did a cartwheel in the barrel. we saw him get sucked over. Naturally, we were looking behind, and waiting to see when he popped up. We didn’t see anything. A couple bombs come through,and we still don’t see him. We motioned over to Poto [Vetea david]. Then we started seeing a board tombstoning.It was like four or five waves; it had probably been like one or two minutes. So,Sage is like,’I’m going in.'”

“Feels pretty scary not remembering anything.”

Lowe expressed his gratitude to his rescuers, stating, “Eternally grateful to @veteadavid and @sage_burke for rescuing and resuscitating me…my true guardian angels!!”

A History of Close Calls at Teahupo’o

This recent incident marks yet another near-death experience for Lowe at the infamous Teahupo’o. Just over a year prior, he suffered a horrific wipeout at the same location, resulting in a punctured lung and multiple broken bones after hitting the reef headfirst. Despite the severity of his injuries at the time, he managed to paddle to shore.

The extent of Lowe’s injuries from the most recent incident remains unclear. However, Lowe pondered his future with the wave: “Will this be the end of Teahupo’o for me…I really don’t know. It’ll be hard not to come back to this magical place again. For now I’m just so grateful to be alive, to be able to be with my family here, and for the deep connections made with the place and people once again.”

The surfing community is celebrating the heroic actions of sage Burke and Vetea David, and wishing tom Lowe a swift and full recovery.