A professional surfer is clinging to life in a coma after surfing one wrong. He ended up wiping out and suffering a head injury while surfing in Hawaii.
According to Island News, professional surfer Makai McNamara was surfing at Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii. That's when a large wave knocked him into a reef, knocking him unconscious. Lifeguards and members of McNamara's family and friends rushed to lend him aid and helped to save him from the ocean.
"It was just a bad wave, kind of a freak accident, and he went head first into the reef," fellow pro-surfer Eli Olson told Island News. "He's underwater for close to two minutes before I got to him. First thing, I just wanted to like keep his head above water so he didn't take more water in. I gave him a couple of breaths. Try to give him a couple of compressions."
Surfer In Coma
"We're getting hit by waves out here," Olson said. "We're getting kind of recycled in the waves and then we got him in life first, did another round of CPR compressions, and he started coughing up water."
The surfer recently regained consciousness while they were trying to save his life. "It's called a combative state, where it's kind of like the body is fighting for its life," Olson said. "It's heavy, especially when it's one of your best friends, seeing them, like lifeless and purple and not breathing."
Right now, doctors placed him in a medically induced coma for 72 hours.
"It's been 24 hours since the incident and he's on his road to recovery," said Makai's father Liam McNamara. "He feels your energy, he feels your love, he feels your positive vibes and we appreciate each and every one of you for your support. We just need the continued prayers and positive energy. Makai's a strong young man and he's going to get through this."
Liam continued, "I thank the lifeguards and everybody who helped, so many people. Thank you so much for helping save my son."
"The next two days he'll be here in the hospital and we just need the continued prayers and positive energy," he added. "Makai's a strong young man and he's going to get through this."
Our prayers are with the surfer.
