Albee’s wipeout at the Jaws Challenge gave him a life-altering concussion. Photos: Instagram
Back in 2019, when a swell big enough to run the Jaws Challenge hit Maui, Albee Layer was on top of his game. But during that event, he paddled into a 30-footer with his usual balls-to-the-wall attitude. He made the drop just fine, but when he looked over his shoulder, the massive lip just about took his head off. That wipeout, one of the worst he’s ever had, did some serious damage. Permanent damage. “The truth is,” he wrote in a recent update, “I’m not, and never will be, whatever I considered normal before.”
The update comes on the heels of a pretty incredible recent performance at Jaws. Layer, of course, has been a standout there for a long time, but that 2019 wipeout really threw a wrench in the cogs. It made him question whether surfing waves like Jaws was really worth it. Doctors told him that, if he continued on the way he was going, he was putting his brain at serious risk.
After that 2019 wipeout, Albee surfaced just fine. He ducked another wall of whitewash like he’d done a thousand times before. But once he got on the rescue sled, it became apparent that this one was a little different. He hunched over his knees, his forehead resting on the sled. His pain was palpable, even through a screen. As it would turn out, he had suffered a very serious concussion. A concussion bad enough to require some pretty intensive rehabilitation.
Three years after his injury, Albee’s performance at Jaws had many fans and friends telling him that they’re happy he’s back in the saddle. But he’s got a disclaimer he wants them to hear.
“A lot of people have told me how stoked they are to see me back to normal since the concussion in 2019,” Layer wrote. “I really appreciate that, but the truth is I’m not and never will be whatever I considered normal before. It’s been over three years. I’ve been through lots of treatments, tried prescribed meds, meditating, therapy, fucken spirit quests, you name it. I’m still a bit different.”
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There are a variety of different personality changes that can occur after a severe head injury. According Flint Rehab, a company founded to advance the neuro-rehabilitation field, “Studies have shown that around 30 percent of traumatic brain injury patients report struggles with anger and aggressive behavior.” That seems to be at least part of the case with Layer.
“I can be shorter to anger (directed at myself),” he continued. “Shorter to negative assumptions (very anxious), and even worse than I was at social interaction, which led to a lot of self-medicating that made things much worse. I’ve fucked up relationships and am generally a bit harder to be around. A lot of these traits I already had but they have been exaggerated since that wipeout. ”
Although Layer did surf some very, very good waves at Jaws, he says he was able to surf them not because he was fully recovered, but because he had a bit of a dangerous mindset.
“[It was] because I was confident with my preparation,” he explained, “but also cause I had that ‘fuck it, nothing to lose’ attitude. Which isn’t sustainable. So I’m still finding a balance there.”
It’s not a coincidence that Albee’s update comes near Brain Injury Awareness Month. His post, in fact, ended with a message to anyone else who might be going through something similar.
“I have come a very long way since the worst of it and spend most days happy and still driven,” he said. “I appreciate the people close to me more than I ever have. I’m now trying to move forward with a much more sober and clear headed approach and it feels like my best decision yet. I talk to a lot of people with head injuries on here so for anybody on a similar journey, the point is don’t let the lows consume you and be okay with changes. Just keep putting in effort. Nothing’s permanent.”
