Jordy's Gnarly Day

The big upset that everyone is talking about is how the worst performer on the tour this year, Brett Simpson, who had as yet not advanced beyond Round 2, dispatched Jordy in said round.

Simpson relegated Smith to his worst showing in a ASP elite tour event in a long time. But nothing is more of an upset than when you almost lose your life. Smith spoke to Peter Mel in the channel after the defeat, with the camera man floating with them, and he told him that the wipeout on Monday was the worst of his life.

The penny dropped properly for many of us, including commentators Martin Potter and Pat Parnell, who enthused at how heavy Jordy's experience was - something not too easy to get over in a day.

Here is what Smith told Mel:

"It was really rattling for me, you know. I dunno, I kind of rushed on one wave and then ... more towards the end of the heat, John and Kai had kind of had their waves ... I took off on a really south one that ended up coming kind of west (below)."

"(I) got pitched ... and then um ... got just slammed onto the reef. Rash vest came off. Barely had a breath. Straight from there I came up but there was so much foam and turbulence on the inside that I barely got a breath and as I was kind of waving, I waved at the ski and the ski guy kind of just missed me. At that point I turned around and I was almost like just watching it go by (laughs). 

"And the thing ... this ... the biggest wave of the day - a tow wave - was just right on my head (below). I didn't get to breath or duck under and so I was under there hitting the reef rolling around, doing back flips front flips and all sorts of directions."

"Eventually I was like kind of  blotchy when i come up ... i didn't get a good breath and I was really blotchy and tried to grab the ski again and missed but luckily he grabbed my other arm. At that point I was super weak. Didn't really feel anything. I was really rattled at that point. Obviously came around to the lagoon. Tried to get back out there. Just trying to catch my breath back. One of those waves that are so gnarly you have to slow down ..."

"Definitely the most, heaviest wipeout of my life. One that I will take to the bank. At that point I was definitely like I have had the worst thing that could happen."

After watching the wipeout that smashed Smith, Parnell conceded it was tough to try and come back from such an experience: "To be that rattled and then to try and come around the corner the next day and compete again ..."

Potter said that there it was a tough ask when so much focus was going into how one was "thanking your lucky stars" and "still getting over the fact that he is alive. He thought he was going to die. Took a big set on the head. I tell you that's not an easy thing to do."

"Jordy is just happy to walk away from it in one piece. To come back from a near death experience you don't get over that overnight."

Jordy insisted to Mel that he had let yesterday go. "I woke up in a lot of pain. My neck and left toe were tweaked. I wanted to prove to myself that i could get a bomb and get a good one and a couple of 8s and 9s ... but it was unlucky for me ... it was very disappointing for me. I really wanted to have a go. Not so much for the heat but for me."

"Glad you're okay," Mel says to him. We all are.