In order to get good at surfing, you have to be bad at surfing. You have to fall a lot. You have to get held down. You have to hit the reef, bounce off the sand, and have at least a few experiences where you wonder whether it’s possible to be pushed any deeper, and have your ears scream out in pain and your chest heave for air. It’s fun! Eli Olson is well aware of all of that, and even though he’s officially gotten good at surfing, the wipeouts still keep on coming.
“During one of the best winter seasons at Pipe, Eli dislocated his shoulder and rolled his ankle,” the YouTube description for this video reads. “In many of the clips featured in the film, Eli is surfing with injuries.”
Olson is, perhaps, a little better suited for dealing with injuries than most. He’s not just a pro surfer — he’s a stuntman for the film industry as well. He spends his life either getting injured or pretending to, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Taking a beating for one of the loves of his life,” the description goes on, “he can’t help but fall for Pipe.”
