Xcel Team Rider Airlifted To Hospital After Surfing 40ft Swells At Cortez Bank - Triocean Surf | Surfboards, Xcel Wetsuits, Surfboard Blanks
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Xcel Team Rider Airlifted To Hospital After Surfing 40ft Swells At Cortez Bank

December 27 2012 Categories: News, Photos

Big Wave surfer & Xcel team rider Greg Long had to be airlifted 100 miles to San Diego Hospital after a possible collision which his board after a wipe out at Cortez Bank; at the scene a suspected broken ribs and a punctured lung.

Photo: Brian Bielmann

The Cortez Bank is a submerged island 100 miles off the coast of San Diego, which big wave surfers believe can hold swells of up to 100ft! The fact that this bank is located so far out to sea makes it far more dangerous than a lot of big wave breaks out there.

There are further pictures of the wave available at Surfer Magazines Website.

HOWEVER:

Although it may seem that this may have been a rider error, there is photographic evidence that he was dropped in on by fellow Big Wave Surfer Garrett McNamara (who you may remember riding the world record 90ft wave off the coast of Portugal).

See this link by Greg Huglin, which shows a 48 photo sequence of the wave that Greg “shared” with Garrett, before he went down in the whitewater.

The latest update was that Greg was able to leave hospital and spend Christmas with his family.


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