Pipe Legend Kalani Chapman Almost Dies at Pipeline

By all accounts, today was one of the best days this season at Pipeline. But it almost came to a tragic conclusion. In the waning moments of the @dahui8o8 #dahuibackdoorshootout Kalani Chapman sustained a near life-ending wipeout. With a large and consistent west swell building all day, in the final heat of the afternoon, Chapman rolled into a Second Reef bomb. Riding it all the way through, as the wave hit the Ehukai sandbar section, Chapman lost control of his board in the tube. He didn’t come up from the wipeout — but his board wasn’t tombstoning either. The @hawaiianwaterpatrol , @nathan_florence and @sethmoniz were in the vicinity and responded immediately. At first, they thought maybe his leash had broken. But Chapman’s body just wasn’t moving at the other end of the leash. “The water patrol was right there, right on him,” said Florence shortly after the incident. “Seth had caught the wave before Kalani’s and I was paddling back out. A little wave came through and the lifeguard had to avoid it on the ski, but Seth was right there. He was screaming and waving his arms at me. I caught a little west bowl chip over to him and we started pulling Kalani up by his leash.” Chapman was unconscious when they got him to the surface, and the water patrol’s ski, reportedly driven by Terry Ahue, arrived back on scene and together everybody worked to get Chapman onto the ski’s sled. “He was telling Seth and I exactly what to do,” continues Florence. “He was driving the ski and giving us instructions at the same time.” Once on the beach, lifeguard personal began to work on Chapman. Article by @surfline PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR BRADDAH @kalooneytunes as he is still in Da Hospital #KalaniChapman #pipeline #gopro #surf #prayers #dahuiwax #eddierothman #drown #yoga #bikini #sup #dukekahanamoku #athlete #sport #drone #northshore #hawaiianwaterpatrol

A photo posted by Da Hui® (@dahui8o8) on Jan 13, 2017 at 10:45pm PST

Pipeline was mental yesterday. A perfect 6-8 feet, light winds ruffling the tops of second reef bombs. The Da Hui Backdoor Shootout was in full effect, and the second day was shaping up to be one to remember. In the final heat of the day, Pipeline legend and all-around nice guy Kalani Chapman stroked into a massive one, set his line, and waited for the double up. Everything looked fine until it wasn’t–Chapman fell behind the curtain and failed to surface.

While it’s not clear exactly what happened just yet, it looks as though he hit the back of his head on his board. The water-patrol, along with Nathan Florence and Seth Moniz, were on him quickly, pulling his limp body to the surface by his leash. From the beach, lifeguards were able to revive him. He’s expected to make a full recovery, but it’s just a reminder of how easily tragedy can strike.

Surfing Magazine has a video of the wave and rescue. Watch it here.