Over the past few days, Southern California has been absolutely bombarded by one of the biggest swells in recent memory, kicking off the summer season with a bang.
While most of the mainstream focus was on spots like The Wedge – for the obvious “wow” factor – some sought surf elsewhere; those spots that don’t normally break, and take a special kind of swell to bring them to life. This was that kind of swell with so much energy in the ocean, and that’s exactly what legendary longtime Orange County surfboard shaper Timmy Patterson and his son Keone did. They found a rare wave, and it was huge. So, being the qualified surfers they are, they grabbed their biggest boards and headed out.
But things went awry when Timmy found himself caught inside on a never-ending set of massive waves, and it was up to his son Keone to save his dad’s life. Timmy drowned during the incident, but he was brought back to life – literally – right there on the beach. So, we decided to give Timmy and Keone a call at the hospital to hear the story.
“It’s a pretty fickle wave,” explained Timmy about the rare surf spot, which will not be named here. “Only once every three or four years does it get fun. It was pretty big out there. Then, there’s just these cleanup sets that are so big. It’s like, ‘holy shit.’ Like double the size – at least – as the other waves. Like 20, 30 maxing out waves. Nonstop.”
As for the incident?
“It was good size,” said Timmy. “I had a good drop on a big bomb, then cartwheeled off of it. I paddled back out, and I was going to get one more. Then a cleanup set came. I think the fifth wave got me. I couldn’t get under it. It sucked me so far in.”
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Keone realized something was wrong. He was on the outside, then caught one and headed towards his dad. Here’s his account of what went down:
“I got the first one of the set, and I airdropped and just got so flexed. I could see him on the inside getting worked. So, I whipped around and started paddling towards him. We hit the point of no return, and it was like double-overhead shorebreak with a side wave breaking off the jetty. It was fucking gnarly. It was all rocks, too. So, I just pulled off our leashes. He was riding a 9’2” and it was just dead weight. I pulled him onto my board. I was just trying to get us through the situation; I was just trying to get him breathing again.”
Finally, they got close enough to shore where the lifeguards could come and assist.
“I turned purple,” Timmy hazily recalls. “I was barely conscious, and I just barely remember this, but one of the paramedics was saying, ‘You gotta fight for this, man.’ Essentially, you have to fight if you want to stay alive.”
“We got on the beach and he didn’t have a pulse,” added Keone. “They started giving him CPR. I just kept hearing ‘no pulse! No pulse!’ It was about five minutes before his heart started again.”
Thankfully, Timmy was resurrected. It wasn’t his time. They revived him on the beach.
“When they did compressions, they cracked a few ribs,” Timmy regaled from the comfort of his hospital bed. “That’s the proper way to do it. That’s how you know it’s working. So, I’ll be recovering from five cracked ribs, then there’s some lung damage, and I need to get my heart checked. All things considered, I feel pretty good. The ribs are painful! [Laughs.] And I have to cough to get all that gross stuff out of my lungs.”
And, of course, he was grateful to his son – not to mention the surf community that rallied around him during this terrifying incident.
“If Keone wasn’t there, I wouldn’t be talking today,” Timmy said. “I’m super grateful for this surf community. I’ve gotten so many messages and prayers. This community we have is pretty special. It’s helped out tremendously. I just can’t wait to get back into the shaping room and doing what I love to do.”
For now, Keone is going to do most of the shaping. And that’s fine with Timmy. “He’s actually got some pretty cool ideas,” he said. All Timmy has to do is sign his name.
Here’s to Timmy; we’re all glad you’re still with us.
Check out Timmy Patterson’s surfboards here.
Related: The Biggest Wedge Ever? Chaos and Carnage from Historic 20ft Swell (Video)