Bondi Rescue lifeguard Kobi Graham suffered a hideous wipeout at Cape Solander mid-afternoon on Sunday, May 30. Kobi took off on a slabbing 6-8ft bomb and kind of nose-dived, free-falling headfirst into the reef at "Ours."
For those that don’t know, "Ours" is a notorious big wave surf spot just outside the entrance to Botany Bay.
The wave comes out of deep water before literally exploding on a shallow barnacle-encrusted rock ledge no more than 10 meters in front of the sheer cliff face.
Kobi fractured two vertebrae, meaning he broke his neck in layman’s terms.
Fellow Bronte surfer and good friend John "Bones" Dwyer helped Kobi onto a sled, and then coastal watch photographer Billy Morris drove them around to Kurnell Beach on a jet ski and promptly called an ambulance.
Thanks to Bones and Billy’s quick response, Kobi was then airlifted to Royal North Shore Hospital within 20 minutes, where he is now reported to be in stable condition.
Kobi was one of a handful of chargers in the water at Ours when I drove out to Kurnell Peninsula to check it on Sunday. Kobi is a well-respected big-wave charger.
The entire Sydney surfing community and all his colleagues in the surf lifesaving fraternity wish him a speedy recovery.
"Sunday, May 30, was one of the biggest surf days in Sydney all year. We dodged the bullet, so to speak. The much-hyped East Coast Low moved off the southern NSW coast overnight Saturday and in the early hours of Sunday morning, sending a biZicatela Mexico Pro g, clean 3-4 meter plus ESE groundswell onto Sydney’s beaches minus all the predicted adverse weather."
The winds remained offshore WNW all day in Sydney, grooming the swell perfectly. Look out for several upcoming features focusing on the swell in the coming days. We will keep you posted on Kobi’s well-being as news comes to hand.
Watch the video of this terrible wipeout.