Ben Player has been severely injured while surfing the iconic left-hander of Riley's, in Ireland.

The three-time world bodyboarding champion suffered a ruptured spleen and consequent internal bleeding and had to be airlifted by the Irish Coast Guard.

Player was getting his share of waves with pro surfer Jamie Mitchell when the accident took place. The part of the coast where the Australian got injured is of difficult access.

Riley's is one of the best surf spots in Ireland. It offers a fast barrel under heavy lips. The break was a great little secret for a while, but the popularity is growing, and it is now a training center for monsters such as Aileen's.

"Tore my spleen trying to land a regular air forward. Crazy because the day before we were surfing 15-foot waves and I did an air forward on the biggest wave I've ever hit and nothing happened! All good though. I should be out of hospital tomorrow and back into it in a few weeks," revealed Player.

"It turned out I received a Level 2 tear in my spleen as a result of blunt force trauma. The good news is that I will be able to keep my spleen and I'm on the mend, which is good news because I quite like my spleen."

Ben Player is expected to make a full recovery from the injury, in time for the 2015 APB World Tour season.