Wipeout Traps Surfer in Underwater Cave (Video)

Pipeline is the most (in)famous surf spot on earth. Hands down. No question. And that’s for a couple reasons: 1) it produces some of the most dramatic waves, particularly tubes, possible in nature; 2) it breaks so close to shore, making it like a gladiator pit for spectators; and 3) it’s notoriously dangerous and, in some cases, even deadly.

But what folks don’t see at Pipe, and what the surfers fear the most, is the bottom.

The wave breaks over an extremely shallow, extremely sharp volcanic reef. Following a wipeout at Pipe, the chances of hitting that reef are high. It’s also uneven, filled with holes surfers can get stuck in. Like legendary filmmaker Bruce Brown said in 1994’s The Endless Summer II, “In the holes, you find pieces of surfboard, teeth…things like that."

South African charger Matt Bromley once found himself in that unfortunate position of being stuck in a hole at the reef at Pipe. And in the latest episode of his YouTube series chronicling his worst wipeouts over the years, he tells that story:

“I had this moment of intense panic. I was pinned. The water was surging into the hole, pushing me back. It was pitch black, and aerated with bubbles. I knew I was in a cave. In my mind I was panicking. I was like, ‘I need to get out of here as soon as possible.’

“As I was trying to fight the water surging against me, I reached down and grabbed my leash from my ankle. My board was actually still outside of the hole. I followed my leash kind of blind, and I pulled myself to the edges of the hole, and I ripped myself out of that hole and up to the surface. I came up, got slammed by another one.

“Then, when I came up on the beach, I was on the verge of tears. I was so rattled.”

As if the wave itself wasn’t enough to deal with…