Greg and his mate Richard Atkinson had flown into Bali to meet his brother Luke Hendy and Adam Dakin for a long-awaited trip to Grajagan.
On the third day of perfect surf the boys were charging 6-8 foot barrels when disaster struck. After pig dogging through a barrel Greg got caught in the inside bowl at the end of the Speedies section. Surfacing after the initial wipeout he looked up to see a surfer trying to scratch into the bowl right above him. It was instantly apparent that the surfer was not going to make the wave, but he tried to take off anyway.
Greg’s only option was to dive as deep as possible. But as he dove he saw the other surfer get pitched, go over his head and land behind him in the flats. Unfortunately in the mad scramble to get out of the way Greg didn’t duck dive deep enough and was sucked back over the falls with the other surfer. Sometime during the wipeout Greg felt a sharp impact on the back of his head. It felt like a board had hit him. From then it turned into a nightmare. Everything went white and, although he was still thinking clearly, when he went to push up off the bottom his body wouldn’t respond.
At the time he couldn't figure out what was happening, but he was paralysed. Still calm, Greg did the only thing he could, held his breath and hoped the buoyancy from the air in his lungs would carry him to the surface. Fortunately he got just high enough to break his mouth free and take a gasp of air before the next wave hit and smashed him again. It was only when the third wave hit and dragged one of his useless arms past his own face that Greg realised he was in really serious trouble. All he could think about was that this was how Mark Foo had died, and he didn’t want to go the same way. On surfacing the third time he managed to scream for help. Luke, who had been surfing 200 yards up the reef, was the first to his aid and with the help of other surfers managed to get him onto his board, out of the water and carry him across the reef.
The group arrived at the camp where they got help from two medics who happened to be staying at the camp next door, but this was not he end of the nightmare. The crew quickly discovered that there was no established emergency procedure in the camp and its owner had gone off fishing, taking with him the only key to the sat phone (the only link to the outside world). In addition the first aid kit consisted of some dirty old bandages, a few plasters and a rusty pair of scissors.
The medics stabilised Greg the best they could by cutting up an old bodyboard to form a neck brace, and gaffa-taping Greg’s head, neck, and torso to his surfboard to prevent movement. They then placed him on a table outside the warung, where he stayed from 4.30 that afternoon to 8am the next morning.
When the camp’s owner eventually arrived and found the key to the sat phone it became apparent that he had no idea of any emergency service phone numbers or even where the camp was located. So after the pilots were eventually contacted, they had to go out to Denpasar and buy a Javanese road map. From this they navigated their way to Grajagan village, following the road to the nature reserve until they spotted the clearing the lads had hacked out of the jungle.
After a 45 minute transfer to Bali, Greg was told he needed an MIR scan and that the island didn’t have the facilities. He was flown out that evening, some 26 hours after the initial accident, and arrived in a Sydney hospital still wearing the same boardshorts he had been surfing in, complete with a block of wax still in his back pocket.
The Aussie doctors told Greg, who still had no feeling in his upper body, that his neck hadn’t been broken, but that a spinal disc had been dislodged and was putting pressure on his spinal cord. Five days later they operated to remove the disc and fuse together two vertebrae. Greg is now recovering in Sydney, but it will probably be a year until he gets to surf again.
Greg is one of the best surfers in the St Agnes area. His smooth powerful attack, watermanship and ability in big waves made him a standout wherever he surfed. He has placed highly in the British and English national contests, was Head Lifeguard at Porthtowan for four years and has travelled extensively. As such this story raises several questions especially with the growing numbers of surfers now enjoying the sport.
Firstly there’s the repercussions of surfers new to the sport putting themselves into positions they may not be experienced in. Secondly there’s the question of who polices the international surf camps and makes sure they have in place adequate emergency equipment and procedures. Fortunately Greg is a highly skilled and experienced surfer, and so is his brother and his friends who were on the trip. If they hadn’t been capable of acting in an emergency situation Greg would probably be dead, or at the very least paralysed for life. These are not pleasant thoughts, but it all happened on a sunny offshore day when everyone was having the time of their lives. The question is if something similar happened tomorrow at your beach to you or your friends, would you know what to do? —Steve England, Carve surfing magazine
Safety in surf camps
As the number of professionally run surf camps increase around the globe the time has come for a body to assess basic safety standards and equipment they provide their customers. It will be a challenging task, but one that has to be addressed.
Why?
Through printed media, video, marketing and contests sponsorship the surfing industry has actively encouraged and utilised the image of the travelling surfer. (Think of the Quiksilver Pro at G-Land, Gotcha in Tahiti, O’Neill in Nias, Billabong at Mundaka.)
Our markets are growing, and more surfers are travelling as they do so more are inevitably going to get into some sort of trouble.
By endorsing and publicising a standard of global practice that would be respected and accepted by both the travel industry and our own core customers we can and will save lives.
How?
Just a basic knowledge will save lives in the future. Even a waterproof step by step procedure chart nailed to the wall of a jungle hut cold provide enough information to help an injured surfer immeasurably.
Prospective contest sponsors could also encourage or pressure surf camp owners that host such events to adhere to basic safety standards.
The safety code can be publicised on all marketing materials associated with travel accessories.
The surf industry has the financial resources to fund an investigation into the provision of basic equipment and a guideline code, and probably to sponsor the production of surf camp medical packs. This could be on the basis of free issue, non for profit sale, or just an initial cash injection recoupable on the sale of a basic package with a small profit margin.
What is required?
A basic standard of practice that all surf camps are expected to adhere to.
A recommended surf tour/surf camp operator logo that can be recognised by potential travellers as a guarantee of basic emergency standards.
Medical guidelines to be held in each camp. A simple wall chart could potentially save a life. Information held should include:
emergency first aid ie CPR, immobilisation, dealing with shock;
camp grid references and an established emergency procedure for evacuation of customers however far away these services are
contacts of local emergency services
Equipment
Basic first aid kit, updated as required including a neck brace/spinal support board.
Some means contacting emergency services (ie sat phone, mobile phone, pager etc)
Press and advertising back up to inform the surfing world of the scheme
This article was written by Steve England.
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