Right after Nathan Florence broke his back on that massive day at Jaws recently, Billy Kemper found himself in a tough spot. As Jaws surfers, they’ve likely come to expect those scary moments, but that doesn’t make them any easier. They’re just prepared for how tough things can get.
“This crazy cleanup set came. It was really bizarre what happened,” Nathan said. “A bunch of guys got caught and Billy ended up getting sucked to the left of Jaws.”
That, as you may or may not know, is not a good place to get sucked into, especially on a day as big as the one Nathan is referencing. It was only ten minutes after Nathan hurt his back — an injury which, at the time, he didn’t know was quite so bad — and thankfully, the Jet Skis were out in full force.
When Billy ended up in that awful little spot, the sun was still rising behind the cliff, which meant that anyone looking towards the shore was blinded by the glare of the sun, the whitewash, and the mist. Radios on the cliff were telling radios on the water Billy’s whereabouts, but it was still nearly impossible to see him. At first, in fact, no one could. But Billy knew exactly where he was, and he knew it wasn’t good.
“He knows Jaws better than anyone,” Nathan said, “so he knows the severity of the situation. He’s like, ‘this is really bad.'”
After a few serious poundings, Billy was nearly on the rocks in a place where being on the rocks is not good. The same ski pilot who had rescued Nathan just minutes earlier, finally got eyes on Billy. And once those guys have eyes on you, they’re going to get to you. They are undoubtedly some of the best ski pilots in the world.
“This right here, what Curtis is doing,” Nathan said, “shows the skill and the knowledge of these (Jet Ski drivers).”
They were able to pluck Billy from the rocks and he will surf another day, but it’s likely that was just one more situation that will stick in his mind the next time he paddles out at maxing Jaws.
