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Joao Chianca, photographed in August during the Shiseido Tahiti Pro in Teahupo’o, French Polynesia.
One of the world’s top surfers is in hospital after being pulled unconscious from the water at The Pipeline, home to Hawaii’s most notorious waves.
Joao Chianca was helped from the surf on the island of Oahu by lifeguards after sustaining a multiple-wave hold-down, surfing website Stab reported. A hold-down refers to the time surfers are held underwater by a wave once they wipe out.
The website’s sources said the Brazilian, the No 4-ranked surfer in the world, was underwater for nearly five minutes before rescue attempts began. He reportedly took a number of waves to the head before being reached.
“His board was tombstoning and when they got to it, he was at the bottom still attached by leash,” an eyewitness told Stab.
Waves had been running in the 8-10 foot (2.5 metre-3m) range.
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Chianca of Brazil competes in the 2023 Rip Curl WSL Finals at Lower Trestles in San Clemente, California, in September.
Chianca was reportedly breathing when he was brought to shore, was stabilised by lifeguards on the beach and rushed to paramedics and a waiting ambulance, Stab reported.
News media reports later said he was in a stable condition at a Honolulu hospital.
The Pipeline, also known as the Banzai Pipeline, has a shallow reef and the reputation of having the most lethal waves in the world, claiming a number of lives over the years.
