I pulled into a sweet one, a couple feet overhead, another wicked long barrel but this one pinched shut at the end. As I got snuffed, it picked me back up and threw me over the falls. Ragdolled, cartwheeling underwater, nothing unusual at this point, just kinda going with the flow. Suddenly I felt my board and fins hit me hard across my crotch - oww shit! Then a second later, WHAM! and a sickening crunch/crackle sound - my head hit the reef, very very hard.
When I hit the surface, I pulled myself up and held my board with my arms across the deck. Dazed, I knew I was hurt bad and could feel thick bubbles of blood pulsing out of my head. Running down my face then 'plop plop' - dark red gobs of blood started splattering the deck below my head. Looked behind me just in time to get under water as the next wave unloaded on me. Faaak! I was too scared to put my fingers in and feel the wound, I just pulled my tombstoning board, climbed back on and yelled for brother Rich, signaling with an up and down hand motion, a hit to my head.
I managed to keep my wits as the waves kept pounding me, eventually washing me up near the lefts. Some people on shore must have seen that I was hurt and waded out to give me a hand, grab my board. By chance it was a friend from way back in the 80's Trent Johnson who was there first and looked at the wound as I climbed up off the reef. Blood was literally pouring out of my head. I said how bad is it? He says doesn't look too bad. So I stepped back and stuck my head underwater so he could get a clean look at it. Stood back up, he winced and turned away, I'm thinking 'OH SHIT!' - and he says, you're gonna have to be stitched up, it's BAD.
A few yards up the beach someone donated their T-shirt to hold against my head. Someone else lead me over towards one of the homes right on the point, went in and grabbed a first aid kit. I sat down on the grass, he sets the box down, looks at my head and says 'man, you need to go the hospital'. Another guy came out with clean towels and insisted that 911 should be called. I said no, I'll just rinse off and drive myself. Trent grabbed his board, paddled out to get Rich, saying that I should not drive.
Thanked everyone and walked back to my car, hold a bloody hand towel against my head, each person that walked by said something like 'reef?' - 'you got a ride?' etc. Aloha abound, nice.
As I was drying off Rich came jogging down the trail, said that Trent paddled out yelled "RICHARD YOUR BROTHER HAS HOLE IN HIS HEAD YOU GOTTA GO HELP" . He didn't want to look at it, just said let's go. I didn't want to leave my vehicle so I said for him to follow me. Jumped in the driver's and snapped a quick self portrait-