Chaos at Pipeline: Surfer Run Over During Pumping Swell (Video)

With back-to-back(-to-back?) swells to kick-off the season on the North Shore, there’s been no shortage of action from the world’s best Pipeline surfers in recent weeks.

But with waves also come crowds. And at waves like Pipeline, everyone’s trying to get a piece. Even those who, perhaps, aren’t experienced enough to be in the lineup at the world’s deadliest surf spot. It happens every year – the perennial debate about surfers who probably should stray away from waves like Pipeline, leaving it instead to the experts.

And recently, the excessive crowds almost resulted in disaster, as merited Pipeline surfer Eli Olson was spit out of a tube, only to run over someone in his path. Watch below.

Captioning the video on social media, Olson wrote:

“Straight chaos at Pipe yesterday! I’m glad nobody was hurt on this wave and we kept surfing but that could have been so bad.”

While Olson maintained a cool head about the situation – no shame towards the surfer who was in the way – in the comments, that’s where the debate commenced.

“Mind blowing lack of common sense,” penned Nathan Florence in response to the oblivious surfer who nearly got guillotined by Olson. And the comments condemning the poor etiquette continued. From certified tube hound and OBX, North Carolina native Brett Barley:

“Maybe the whole paddling-for-the-end-section-as-someone-is-coming-out-of-the-barrel, thus nearly causing an emergency room visit. Like… at no wave in the world is it ok to shoulder Hop the end of a wave that someone’s already riding, but it’s especially not ok in solid surf where guys are going 25-30mph.”

Santa Barbara style-master Conner Coffin added: “What the fuck! I guess at least they were trying to paddle in to get to the beach where they belong.”

A few months back, Nathan Florence and Koa Rothman pondered about the death of surf etiquette on their sometimes on, sometimes off podcast. Mainly, they mused about the general rule in surfing, in which, a surfer paddling out must paddle behind the surfer riding a wave – thus getting out of the way, and taking the brunt of the wave on the head.

In other words, sacrifice yourself in order to give the surfer riding the wave the right of way.

Not so much in this situation at Pipe. But Olson didn’t bring out the pitchfork. Instead, he simply penned: “Just glad nobody lost a leg.”