Kelly Slater, "We have a rescue going on, sorry ... I'm a little distracted."
You mighta noticed, two days ago, how distant Kelly Slater was on the podium when he picked up his Triple Crown trophy.
Disappointment at missing the Olympics? An eighth Pipe Masters?
Eventually,
“We have a rescue going on, sorry … I’m a little distracted,” Slater told a befuddled Joe Turpel.
As best-in-the-game lifeguards Terry Ahue and Brian Keaulana, who’d been shooting a commercial with Carissa Moore, flew up onto the beach on their skis, Kelly barked: “Watch out…Everyone watch out!”
“Give these guys a ton of room and we’ll continue on, Kelly,” said Joe.
Kelly wasn’t into it. He knows three skis dragging a surfer from the water at Pipe is serious.
Celebration quickly turned to concern during the awards presentation at the #BillabongPipeMasters when a life-and-death situation occurred in the Pipe lineup. For the full story head to https://t.co/ie0ZfMVLPY pic.twitter.com/oIMKxatIHQ
— World Surf League (@wsl) December 21, 2019
Turns out a thirteen-year-old shredder from San Clemente, Hayden Rodgers, who won the Open Boys, Explorer Menehune and Junior Airshow divs at HB this year, had fallen outta the lip, hit his head on the reef and been held under for two waves.
“We had just started heading back and saw that the contest was over, the competition buoys were in. Terry and I are always scanning the shoreline,” Keaulana told the WSL. “I don’t know how many times after Pipe we’ve had the same scenario happen and it was just that same feeling yesterday … driving along, scanning the shoreline and the lineup.”
Rodgers was put on a spinal board, still breathing, his face bloodied, and taken by ambulance to the Queens Medical Center in downtown Honolulu were he’s expected to make a full recovery.
Wear helmets on shallow reefs peeps. They’re cool again.
I dont know if jumping of the ski and letting it drift was a good idea (to the left). Should have beached it instead. It could have knocked another little kid out playing on the shore. There was obviously a few rescuers there to do their thing. What about everyone elses safety.
Is that what you would have done with all your experience rescuing people at Pipe?
You dont know me. And yeah thats what i would have done.
This is true but……..
Happy it sounds like the grom will recover-underscores the dangers of pipe and the accomplishments of the best out there. Full gratitude, respect and acknowledgement to the water safety crew!
And, really, good on Kelly for having awareness of what was going on in the ocean, putting a hold on everything until the situation was under control and having concern for another surfer. We’re quite a small global ‘tribe’ and we should look out for each other.
Is this surprising? Joe didn’t know a shark was attacking Mick as he rambled his ad copy. The WSL always misses scoring rides to show beach crowds or interview a girlfriend… anything that a non surfer would find interesting because that is their intended audience.
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Have no desire to surf their home break. That scene stirs my grumpiness..
TURN THE VOLUME DOWN . A life threatening wipeout and rescue ground everyone involved. Hope Dorian and the rest of the grom mom’s are questioning the judgement and conditions before the rat pack chomping at the bit to paddle out after the final buzzer with dreams of being the next Shawn White. Would the father of Barbados young surfer whom had a life altering wipe out choose to ratchet the volume back in hindsight.. No question!
Parents are a major part of the problems…. soccer moms litter the dunes in Ventura watching over little home school johnny who is training for the tour at 13, even though he’s not out surfing the other little johnnies. It could be worse, travel baseball or soccer, but school has collateral benefits such as socialization. Once johnny escapes being little, he may need an education too? The lure of being the next Dane is a loud sirens song these moms can’t resist.
Kelly was heard spouting about Karma during the pipemasters. Kinda funny how this kid threw gnarly distracting shadows on his moment of glory, not dissimilar to when Kelly overshadowed De Souza’s victory few years back. Just saying.
Wow, you just topped Trump for the dumbest thing ever said by a human, ever.
Previously it was what Trump babbled about the Kurds not being at Nomandy.
But your babble about Karma and “Gnarly distracting shadows” and DeSouza’s victory just beat that.
Congrats. Smoke better weed. Or just stop.
Saw him get pulled from the shoreline. Looked lifeless. A lot more serious than this article implies. Surprised he’s alive.
I know, I know…its joe turpel.
but still – he should have done better. all it takes is common sense – notice whats going on around you and react accordingly.
also, keaulana was quoted on the WSL site saying that a “girl bodyboarder” had dived down to pull the kid up and was trying to keep his head above water. biggest props to her if that’s how it went down
i’ve read that lindsey yasui was first to hayden
Thought it was pretty cool of Kelly to stop the interview despite Joe pushing it.
Good wishes to the kid and his family. Keep charging, kid. I don’t know who he is (I’m wayyy out of the loop) but kid shredder charging out to Pipe to get some while the interviews and stuff are going on: Props. And to Terry Ahue and Brian Keaulana (probably saving someone’s life, not reading here): your place in the Valhalla of Big Wave Riders and Surf Rescue is cemented. My small accomplishments (not really noteworthy at all) in this part of life are only from following in the footsteps of giants like you and the Aikaus.
Was it that kid who got that backdoor screamer just before the comp started?
He woulda beat kelly too or at least caio.
Nah that was Pete Mendia’s son Kepa.
He’d be stoked it was on the broadcast
Sending some aloha to lil grom Hayden for a fully recovery. Mahalos to Hawaii’s first responder lifeguards and Hawaii fire men and women who protect and save us from ourselves all year round whether you’re a local or visiting tourist. Ahue and Keaulana lifelong Hawaiian legends along with all the others always keeping an eye and keeping you safe.
Hey Mr Dirk Ziff, Nick Carroll tells me you’re a real good bloke. Howzabout you take one small kine piece of your uku billions and donate some fresh rescue equipment and upgraded lifeguard stands for da boys ?
Dirk is a good bloke – noblesse oblige – and hopefully he takes your suggestion to heart.
How much would they need to completely buff out the North Shore guards? Half a million? Less?
Got inventory? What do they need?
Dirk can probably visit the life guard chief and find this out himself.
He’s busy being a billionaire.
It’s a busy life.
And it’s the holidays.
If someone knowledgable and reputable were to prepare an inventory with a number at the end, that couid expedite things.
yeah if I was a busy leisure billionaire I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to afford to pay attention either
Im just saying: Make it easier for him. Make a list. Check it twice. Itemize and price out what you need. Think Dirk knows what the North Shore lifeguards need? He doesn’t. Geez.
good idea ben I’m just fucking wit ya
Let’s see if people on BitchGripe actually know anything about anything, or are they just a bunch of sideline-sniping know-nothings.
Fix this wish list for the North Shore lifeguards.
What do they need, how many, and what would it cost to outfit the six lifeguard stations at Sunset, Ehukai, Ke Waena, Waimea Bay, Chun’s Reef and Haleiwa.
1. Six thoroughly-modern lifeguard towers with Wifi and other tech?
2. How many pairs of range-finding binoculars? (Pronounced “Buy-knock-you-LARS” like the guy in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels: Or was it Snatch?)
3. How many pairs of the best walkie-talkies money can buy?
4. How many top of the line Yamaha WaveRunners?
5. How many top of the line Rescue Sleds?
6. How many rescue tubes?
7. How many pairs of swim fins?
8. How many megaphones?
9 Weekly laundry service for the uniforms.
Anyone? Anyone?
Tell the waterman of the year to just cut a $3million check and everyone is happy. That’s pocket change.
Waterman of the Year.
It’s a title, so it’s capitalized.
Make an itemized list of what the North Shore lifeguards need and what it will cost, and he might just do it.
Probably wouldn’t even need to be $3 million.
Six brand new, ultra-mod lifeguard towers.
Six brand-new Personal Watercraft.
A dozen rescue sleds.
Some defibrillators.
A rescue helicopter.
Range-finder binoculars.
Job done. Send it to mr. waterman. Good job, commenter.
COULD expedite things.
Not couid expedite things.
Proper spelling and grammar is what separates us from the mongrel races.
“couid” is the Gaellic form of “could”
Sometimes I slip back into the tongue of the old country.
And it’s Mongol races, not mongrel races.
Pretty respectful on Kelly’s behalf I’d say.
Kelly diverts attention away from himself!
Guess whose name made it into this article’s headline…