Just in from the North Shore is news that Makai McNamara, older bro of Eddie Aikau winner Landon McNamara, son of Pipe Master Liam McNamara and nephew of tow-lord Garrett, had to be revived on the beach at Pipe after a wipeout.
Details are sketchy but in clean six-to-twelve foot waves, Makai took off an insider, it drained almost dry, and, likely, Makai hit the bottom or his surfboard, knocking him unconscious. A fire fighter gave the twenty nine year old CPR until lifeguards arrived.
In an interview with the WSL a few years back, Makai McNamara was respectful of his linage but keen to drive down his own path.
“My dad and uncle have definitely made a good path for me, but you can’t just think you’re the man because of someone else’s accomplishments. It used to affect me a lot more because I felt like I would always get the raw end of the deal, but feeling bad for yourself doesn’t help anything. Now, all of their accomplishments in surfing give me motivation to do better. Like how my dad won the Pipe Pro and Pipe Master trials many times, it just makes me want to do the same things and beyond!”
When asked if why he didn’t wear a helmet like his bro Landon he said,
“I get asked this a a lot, and it kind of trips me out. Landon goes on the craziest looking waves I have ever seen and has some of the craziest wipeouts I have ever seen so I hope he keeps wearing a helmet! As for me, I’m kind of a scaredy cat but I try not to think about wearing or not wearing a helmet and focus on making the waves I go for. I do believe that if it’s your time to get hurt, it will happen no matter what. Even if you are wearing full body armour, when it’s your time it’s your time.”
More as it comes.
The post Breaking: Hawaiian surfer Makai McNamara seriously injured at Pipeline appeared first on BeachGrit.
