Keala Kennelly has been seriously injured after suffering a dangerous wipeout in Teahupoo, Tahiti. The Hawaiian surfer has gone over the falls and hit the reef heavily.
The brave surfer rode the infamous tow-in session day on August 27th without any problem. In smaller conditions, Keala went down to get her face in a mess.
Everything happened during the expression session in memory of Andy Irons, attended by Bruce Irons, Joel Parkinson, Luke Egan, and more pro surfers.
Kennelly got barreled, and she was pushed to the sharp coral in a second.
Forty Stitches
She suffered severe trauma in the right hemifacial, next to the eye, as well as a scalp wound.
In the following minutes, Keala Kennelly was hospitalized in Papeete and underwent surgery to repair the deep wounds.
She was then anesthetized to remove pieces of coral embedded in the wound. She won forty stitches: 30 in the front and 10 in the skull.
Kennelly said it was like having a car accident. She has to take powerful pain medications to ease the pain. Keala was not wearing a helmet during the session.
"They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Sorry if you were eating dinner. I look much better now, I promise", said the Hawaiian on her Facebook page.