This is Tom Lowe’s second serious injury at Teahupo’o. Photo: Courtesy TL
British big wave surfer Tom Lowe was found unresponsive in the Teahupo’o lagoon after a “three to four” wave hold-down on Wednesday, June 4. Reports from Tahiti say he was revived and is now in stable condition at a hospital in Papeete.
Local photographer Tim McKenna posted updates on his Instagram. According to McKenna, after Lowe’s hold-down, he was picked up in the Teahupo’o lagoon by Jet Skis driven by Sage Burke and Vetea David.
Burke reported that when they found Lowe, he was not breathing and had no pulse. McKenna posted footage from what appears to be the rewind of the Surfline stream at Teahupo’o, which shows Burke and Vetea rendering first aid. (When scrubbing back in the Surfline camera footage, there is a 10-minute gap missing, which appears to have been made unavailable by Surfline).
Burke said that through CPR, they revived Lowe and got a pulse. McKenna’s posts say that Lowe is now “OK” and receiving care at the hospital to remove water from his lungs.
Lowe is a renowned big wave surfer who placed third at the 2017 Puerto Escondido Challenge. He was also invited as an alternate to the 2023 and 2024 Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational. This is the second severe injury that Lowe has suffered at Teahupo’o. In 2023, he endured five broken ribs and a punctured lung after a wipeout at the End of the Road.
