Surfer dies 11 days after Banzai Pipeline wipeout

By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer

An aspiring professional surfer from Japan died yesterday from injuries suffered 11 days earlier after wiping out at the Banzai Pipeline on O'ahu's North Shore.

The man's identity has not been released.

Surfers nearby spotted the man shortly after 11 a.m. on Jan. 19 and alerted lifeguards on the beach, who brought the man to shore. They were able to re-establish a pulse but he remained unconscious when taken to Wahiawa General Hospital.

Bodo Van Der Leeden, captain of the city's North Shore lifeguards, said the surf at Pipeline was a solid 10 feet that day, meaning wave faces were easily twice that height.

The man was driven underwater by a wave that pitched him over the falls, breaking his board and knocking him unconscious, Van Der Leeden said.

Seeing this, another surfer paddled over once the set of four or five following waves rolled through. He was able to find the man because the leash connected to his ankle was still attached to his broken board, which floated overhead, Van Der Leeden said.

"The surfer noticed it was bad and kept an eye on him like they always do," Van Der Leeden said. "Usually they keep an eye on each other to make sure the person comes up."

Pipeline can be a treacherous wave even on smaller days because of the way it breaks over a sharp, shallow reef. In big surf, it's experts only.

"You've got to be really good to surf that, and even the good guys have accidents," he said.