JEREMY FLORES: 'IT WAS A NIGHTMARE' French surfer recounts head-butting the reef at Lakey Peak, which resulted in 35 stitches and two hours of memory loss By Marcus Sanders

Published: June 29, 2015

June 29, 2015 Views: 7,452







JEREMY FLORES: 'IT WAS A NIGHTMARE' Jeremy Flores recounts head-butting the reef at Lakey Peak, which resulted in 35 stitches and two hours of memory loss.





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Related "After pulling into 10-foot, perfect Cloudbreak without any problems, I go to surf shitty, four-foot Lakey Peak, try a stupid air and this happens. That’s the thing: I don’t know what’s going on much in the air; I’m not one of these guys. I just boost and hope for the best [laughs]." Photo: Kirstin/WSL

“It was the worst feeling, not to remember things," said Flores. "I’ve had many bad injuries before, but that was the worst one... The face cuts themselves aren’t that bad, but the memory loss really scared me."

Lakey Peak. “I didn’t remember at all what happened for a couple hours," Flores said. "But Wiggolly Dantas reckoned that I came out and was, like, on another planet... Once we got to the boat, apparently I was asking all these questions like, 'Who am I? Where am I? What the f**k is going on?'” Photo: Mick Curley



A couple weeks ago, Jeremy Flores made the Semifinals at the Fiji Pro with spectacular backside tuberiding in equally spectacular Cloudbreak.



The impact caused a major concussion, as well as at least two hours of complete memory loss. Flores surfaced from the wipeout not knowing who he was, where he was, or what happened. Luckily, Wiggolly Dantas saw the whole thing and got Flores to shore, stayed with him through the night and accompanied him the following day when Flores was finally airlifted to the international hospital in Bali. He was x-rayed and operated on by a plastic surgeon and received 35 stitches in his face.



We caught up with Flores today as he rested at home in France to get the story:



“It was kind of a small day at Lakey Peak on the right. There were some pretty good ramps, end sections and barrels, but it was getting dangerous because the tide was so low. I don’t know why, but I started frothing and trying to learn how to do all the tricks and airs and stuff. I ended up doing this rotation and landed headfirst on the reef's end section."



“Now, over a week later, I don’t remember at all what happened those next couple hours. But Wiggolly Dantas was right there and saw the whole thing, and he reckoned I was, like, on another planet. I had a lot of blood on my face, he was talking to me and I wasn’t even there. Once we got to the boat, apparently I was asking all these questions like, 'Who am I? Where am I? What the f**k is going on?'”



“Then we went on the little boat ride back to the hotel. The boys were saying that I was getting angry because I didn’t remember shit. Then, maybe an hour and a half after, I started remembering things. First thing I remembered was my family and then I slowly started remembering everything."

Apparently I was asking all these questions like, 'Who am I? Where am I? What the f**k is going on?'



“We called the insurance [company] and for a helicopter. The helicopter [operator] said he was going to be right there, but he never came. All night, I had Wiggolly and Jake Patterson by my side to make sure I wasn’t sleeping because apparently after a big concussion, sleeping could be really bad. You could lose memory again after a big shock like that. It was hard not to sleep."



“You should've seen how much blood came out of my face the next morning. It was a nightmare. Honestly, a nightmare. I was just trying to stay positive. My main worry was getting to the hospital quickly, because I knew once I got there it would be all sweet. I wanted to get all my cuts cleaned, to be all stitched up, to get x-rayed to see if I had brain damage."



“Finally, the helicopter came, picked me up and took me to the international hospital in Nusa Dua. The doctor suggested to get taken care of by a plastic surgeon for my face. So I did and he put around 30 to 35 stitches on my face, my right side and my head. The x-rays didn’t find any major damage, like no fractures, but then I got to France and doctors here actually just found two little fractures, under my eye and on my cheek. Which kind of sucks because my cuts are healing super quickly."



“I got two little bones broken on my face, so it’s really fragile, and the doctors are saying to wait until it’s 100% healed because if I hurt it again it would be way worse damage. In the next couple days I’ll know if I need surgery, but the doctors are saying they doubt it because it would be really delicate surgery."



“I talked to the doctors in France about the memory loss. They said they did a lot of really good tests on my brain and there’s nothing to worry about. Some doctors say they’ve seen this with rugby players or fighters -- where they get a concussion and have long memory loss. They said it could go for a couple of months. So it’s nothing special, but it's definitely scary. But the good part is, no brain damage at all."



“It’s heavy, really. After pulling into 10-foot, perfect Cloudbreak without any problems, I go to surf shitty, four-foot Lakey Peak, try a stupid air and this happens. It was pretty funny, because when Wiggolly saw me trying the air, he started laughing because he didn’t know I hit the reef so bad. Then he was like, 'Oh shit.'"



“That’s the thing: I don’t know what’s going on much in the air. I’m not one of these guys. I just boost and hope for the best [laughs]. I guess I did the rotation with the wind, and at the end of the rotation my head was down and I kept on grabbing. I don’t know. That’s what Wiggolly was saying, but I don’t remember."



“As for being able to surf again, some doctors say a couple months, some say a few weeks. It will depend on how my bones heal. But, I didn’t pull out of J-Bay yet because, you know, I’m still hoping for a big surprise a couple days before. I’m hoping, but I doubt I’ll be ready for J-Bay. I am hoping to be 100% for Teahupo'o. Even if I have to wear a helmet. Hell, Tom Carroll did! I’ll gladly wear a helmet, if that’s what it takes to be able to surf Teahupo'o." “F**k, it was scary. I had cuts all over my face, but that wasn’t the problem. Losing memory is what scared the shit out of me. And I hit the reef pretty hard, so pieces of coral were stuck inside my cuts, everywhere, on my face. But I was so out of it that I didn’t really feel the pain for those first couple hours. It was weird. I’ve had many really bad injuries before, but that was the worst one. The cuts themselves aren't that bad, but the memory loss really scared me."“We called the insurance [company] and for a helicopter. The helicopter [operator] said he was going to be right there, but he never came. All night, I had Wiggolly and Jake Patterson by my side to make sure I wasn’t sleeping because apparently after a big concussion, sleeping could be really bad. You could lose memory again after a big shock like that. It was hard not to sleep."“You should've seen how much blood came out of my face the next morning. It was a nightmare. Honestly, a nightmare. I was just trying to stay positive. My main worry was getting to the hospital quickly, because I knew once I got there it would be all sweet. I wanted to get all my cuts cleaned, to be all stitched up, to get x-rayed to see if I had brain damage."“Finally, the helicopter came, picked me up and took me to the international hospital in Nusa Dua. The doctor suggested to get taken care of by a plastic surgeon for my face. So I did and he put around 30 to 35 stitches on my face, my right side and my head. The x-rays didn’t find any major damage, like no fractures, but then I got to France and doctors here actually just found two little fractures, under my eye and on my cheek. Which kind of sucks because my cuts are healing super quickly."“I got two little bones broken on my face, so it’s really fragile, and the doctors are saying to wait until it’s 100% healed because if I hurt it again it would be way worse damage. In the next couple days I’ll know if I need surgery, but the doctors are saying they doubt it because it would be really delicate surgery."“I talked to the doctors in France about the memory loss. They said they did a lot of really good tests on my brain and there’s nothing to worry about. Some doctors say they’ve seen this with rugby players or fighters -- where they get a concussion and have long memory loss. They said it could go for a couple of months. So it’s nothing special, but it's definitely scary. But the good part is, no brain damage at all."“It’s heavy, really. After pulling into 10-foot, perfect Cloudbreak without any problems, I go to surf shitty, four-foot Lakey Peak, try a stupid air and this happens. It was pretty funny, because when Wiggolly saw me trying the air, he started laughing because he didn’t know I hit the reef so bad. Then he was like, 'Oh shit.'"“That’s the thing: I don’t know what’s going on much in the air. I’m not one of these guys. I just boost and hope for the best [laughs]. I guess I did the rotation with the wind, and at the end of the rotation my head was down and I kept on grabbing. I don’t know. That’s what Wiggolly was saying, but I don’t remember."“As for being able to surf again, some doctors say a couple months, some say a few weeks. It will depend on how my bones heal. But, I didn’t pull out of J-Bay yet because, you know, I’m still hoping for a big surprise a couple days before. I’m hoping, but I doubt I’ll be ready for J-Bay. I am hoping to be 100% for Teahupo'o. Even if I have to wear a helmet. Hell, Tom Carroll did! I’ll gladly wear a helmet, if that’s what it takes to be able to surf Teahupo'o."

The result pushed him to #10 in the world, and he left Fiji saying, “It’s great to be back at this level of the game.”After the event, Flores flew straight from Fiji to Indonesia for a Quiksilver photo shoot at Lakey Peak, Sumbawa. The surf was average, at least compared to Cloudbreak, and Flores was “trying some airs” on the end section of the right, at low tide. One rotator went horribly awry and the Frenchman found himself headfirst on the reef.