Soli Bailey Suffers Serious Neck Injury at Pipeline

Sharing about the injury on social media – including x-rays and footage presumably from the wave that did him in – Soli scribed:

“I’ve been pretty quiet on socials the last few months as I have been out of the water after suffering a serious injury to my neck whilst surfing in Hawaii back in February.

“I have seen my physical health and my future flash before my eyes. What began as discomfort turned out to something far more serious, where a disc in my cervical spine had ruptured and was pushing directly into my spinal cord causing compression and symptoms in my arms. It’s been confronting to face the very real possibility that my life may never look the same again.

“Since then, it's been a heavy journey mentally, emotionally, and physically. Countless scans, opinions, and setbacks eventually led me to undergo spinal surgery this week. Now on the other side, I have something I haven’t had in months; a path forward in my recovery. I am grateful to have an incredible support crew around me, including a brilliant medical team, my fiancé, family and sponsors who believe in my recovery as much as I do.”

Soli, as you may recall, was the winner of the inaugural Natural Selection Surf event – a specialty contest, flipping the script on traditional events, held in harrowing waves, strike-mission style, somewhere in Micronesia. Big hopes for the young Aussie.

And despite the setback with the injury, Soli’s staying positive, looking to the future:

“This is just the beginning of the road back not only to surfing, but to full health. I’m glad to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’ll be sharing more of the journey as I go, the highs and the lows.”