This one photo sums up the seriousness of Nathan’s situation. A huge effort by three Brazilians saved his life.
At Desert Point on June 16 things went very wrong for Nathan Bartlett. Luckily some quick thinking and CPR skills from three Brazillains saved his life.
Photographer Kako Lopes explains:
“Nathan was probably the best surfer in the swell, he had already picked up many tubes over two days. At around two o’clock in the afternoon, I was coming in to surf and I saw Nathan trying to get into a good wave, but he was very late. He didn’t make the drop. It was only after two waves that I could see that the board was floating by itself. It was already distant, I saw that the bodyboarder Renan Farias came paddling hard towards the board and went too.
“Renan was the first to arrive, then me and Usman. Renan grabbed Nathan, we started to swim to the sand, but it was very difficult because of the current. That’s when we saw a fishing boat that Pete Frieden was photographing from. We paddled out. Nathan’s face was disfigured, he was pulseless, going purple and full of water, I saw we did not have much time. As Renan swam beneath him I decided to try the first massage (CPR) and see if he would support it. It worked.
“I started to paddle with one hand and massage with the other. Lots of water came out of his mouth. There was blood everywhere, the saddest scene. It took us about five minutes to get to the boat. I did not stop the massage at any time, from there came several surfers, we had difficulty putting him on the boat. I went up on the boat and followed the massage, so he gave the first breath, I could see that the space in the lung was too little, the breathing too short, I turned him to the right side, I stopped massaging and I started to pray.
“We took him to the nearby bay, took him out of the boat and put him in a warung. At that moment he woke up, recognized me, held my hand tight and asked me not to leave him. Then his brother and his friends arrived. We put him in the car and left for Mataram (closest town to Deserts). There he was cleaned and got stitches. After two days he was taken to Bali, where he had proper examination.
“Thanks to God, Nathan is recovering well, the cuts were deep and very close to the eye, but he did not have any problem in the eye. He was without brain damage and the lung is improving gradually. He broke his nose, but yesterday in Australia they did the last surgery on his nose. Today he is at home with his wife and two children, one two months old and the other two years old. Amen.
Legends! Such quick thinking and great work definitely saved a good man’s life. Well done all.
Byron Bartlet, Nathan’s Brother posted:
“So glad to see my brother @nathbartlett123 alive and well after taking a bad wipeout at desert point last week. My family is forever grateful for these three heroes rite here @rodrigocardoso94 @kakolopes @renanfarias95 for rescuing him and literally saving his life 🙏🙏🙏. Also thanks to @guybarts @rexakalenny@ivanhales @_balaram @usmantrioko and anyone else who helped my brother. #thankyou #desertpoint #family
“Apnea and rescue courses are essential for any surfer. We think it will never happen to us, but surfing is a very dangerous sport and that risk is closer than we think.”
Would you know what to do if your friend or another surfer got into this situation? It happens.
Rip Curl has officially announced the 16 surfers invited to compete in the Rip Curl Cup 2017, to be held on the best day of waves at Padang Padang between July 10 and August 10.
Among the world’s best surfers preparing to push the limits of tuberiding in pursuit of the prestigious title are: 3x World Champion Tom Curren (USA), North Shore charger Mason Ho (HAW) and former WCT superstar and style icon Bruce Irons (HAW). Among the surfing luminaries representing Indonesia are defending Rip Curl Cup Champion Mega Semadhi, Indonesian surfing ambassador Rizal Tandjung and two-time Indonesian Champion Lee Wilson.
Going by the numbers, there’s no question 2017’s lineup of invited surfers is one of the most potent ever assembled: a 3x World Champion, five WCT event Champions and four Indonesian National Champions are among the all-star lineup of surfers vying for the 2017 Rip Curl Cup at Padang Padang.
In addition to Curren, Ho and Irons, goofyfoot barrel mercenaries Damien Hobgood (USA) and Clay Marzo (HAW) will also be making their return to the Rip Curl Cup, hoping to better their finals appearances from last year and claim The Cup. Meanwhile, reigning Rip Curl Cup Champion and pride of Balinese surfing Mega Semadhi said he’s looking forward to a rematch with the big names, no matter how it plays out.
“Padang Padang is one of the best waves in Indonesia,” Semadhi said. “It’s the perfect spot to share with some of the best tube riders in the world. When you get that combination of wave quality and talent for one special day, everyone is always going to leave stoked no matter where they end up finishing.”
Following is the complete surfer lineup for the 2017 Rip Curl Cup:
International Surfers:
1. Tom Curren (USA)
2. Mason Ho (HAW)
3. Damien Hobgood (USA)
4. Bruce Irons (HAW)
5. Kai Otton (AUS)
6. Bruno Santos (BRA)
7. Clay Marzo (HAW)
8. Jack Robinson (AUS)
9. Jacob Willcox (AUS)
10. Ryan Burch (USA)
Note: Only eight international surfers will receive a spot in the event. Entry granted on first-come, best-dressed basis.
Indonesian Surfers:
1. Bol Adi Putra
2. Raditya Rondi
3. Mega Semadhi
4. Rizal Tandjung
5. Pepen Hendrik
6. Garut Widiarta
7. Lee Wilson
8. TBD (winner of local trials)
The final remaining invitation will go to the winner of the local trials, to be held at Padang on the best day of surf conditions from July 1 – 7.
Arpad Leclere is 16. He was born in Belgium and raised in Bali. He’s been on the radar and shredding since he was around 12, but this year he has really stepped up his game.
Thanks to social media we often get blips and a few laughs from behind the scenes at Dane Reynolds’ house. His wife Courtney (@NapkinApocolypse)’s Instagram is must-see social media. Between Sammy, Boogie, Pam and the pigeons, it’s content cute overload. And beyond that there’s Dane, the man behind those scenes, is front and center in his scenes. Dane recently produced Chapter 11, his more or less tell-all about the prime of his professional surfing career and the highs and hurdles stemming from the interesting challenges it presented him personally. Above he talks about his next prime. Building a continually growing family, starting his new brand Former now that he’s left Quiksilver, and traversing the world that comes with all that. It’s a lot of new in his world. He still loves surfing. Sitting in the parking lot at Emma Wood. And the occasional Modelo. But our friends at What Youth went over to get a look at how Dane’s next chapter is coming along.
The first dead shark – 15ft one-ton great white – washed up on May 3 and the following day a 12ft shark washed up nearby. Three days later a third dead great white was washed up. A fourth, a 12 foot male, yesterday. All had had their livers removed with surgical precision.
Experts believe Orcas are feasting on their organs because of a love for a compound called squalene. Maybe with the ocean equalivent of a nice chianti?
An ex shark, ceased to be, bereft of life..
Marine Dynamics, a conservation body which also runs shark cage diving trips, confirmed the latest great white had died of Orca wounds
Biologist Alison Towner said
‘Obviously this is a very sad time for us. Nature can be so cruel but the dexterity with which these killer whales are capable of is mind blowing – almost surgical precision.
‘That is the way in which they have removed the squalene-rich livers and dumped the shark carcass. We have never seen anything like this before in great white deaths. ‘In the attacks there is left a large gaping hole between her pectoral fins where they were torn apart to reveal her body cavity and that their large livers were completely missing.”
