Brutal Wipeout at Shipstern Bluff Named Wipeout of the Year Contender by Big Wave Challenge

Surfers are drawn to Tasmania’s southeast coast for the thrill of a lifetime. Shipstern Bluff has provided surfers like 16-year-old Ned Hart from the U.K. the “good rush” of riding massive waves. Just like him, many others have traveled to this remote and treacherous surfing location for the chance to test their skills. Now, the destination has acquired further notoriety with a recent recognition from the NBWC.

Shipstern Bluff has seen many gnarly surfing accidents over the years. One such incident took place in June with Danny Griffiths. The lucky surfer not only survived the terrifying wipeout but also managed to earn himself a spot in surfing history.

Danny Griffiths’ wipeout secures surfing history

Danny Griffiths is a surfer from Hobart who has previously stunned everyone with his incredible good luck. The surfing enthusiast had lost a surfboard during another wipeout and found it four years later, almost 2700 kilometers away. In June 2023, he experienced another remarkable incident that added to his reputation as a lucky surfer. While riding a massive wave at Shipstern Bluff, Danny Griffiths faced a terrifying wipeout that could have ended in disaster. But miraculously, he survived and is now nominated for the first Wipeout of the Year Award by the NBWC.

Big Wave Challenge announced the nomination in an Instagram video post captioned, “Tassie boys, coming in hot! Shipstern Bluff is a staple of the global big wave slab empire and the crew has a few contenders they’d like to throw into the mix. Behold this gem of a wipeout as executed by @danny_griffiths and shot by @onepalmmedia — is that not a beauty? Definitely one to talk about as the New Big Wave Challenge heats up, now just two months out from the Big Party in Portugal. Yewww!”

The video clip showed Griffiths losing his balance and falling into the huge slab. The waves make him somersault a couple of times, after which he disappears into the thickest lip ever. Griffiths was on a surfing expedition in Shipstern Bluff with fellow surfers Russell Bierke, Noah Hassett, Kipp Caddy, James McKean, Tyler Hollmer-Cross, and Alex Zawadzki. They were all amazed by the remarkable feat Griffiths had just pulled. Shipstern Bluff has seen many such wipeouts in recent history, but not all were as lucky as Danny Griffiths.

Shipstern Bluff leaves many surfers broken and battered

Nathan Florence has already received many accolades and honors for both his surfing prowess and his looks. He is famous as the “world’s smartest surfer” and widely popular as the Prince Harry look-alike. However, his smartness could not save him from a terrible fall at Shipstern Bluff. As a brother to Olympic surfer John John Florence, he has trained all his life on a surfboard. But when he encountered the “10-foot mutant slab,” he could not help but feel the fear.

Read More: A Brutal Wipeout Proved Fatal for ‘Petit Prince’ in 2005 Years After Achieving an Impossible Barrel at Deadly Surfing Spot

Another Australian big-wave surfer named Dylan Longbottom suffered broken ribs, internal hemorrhages, and a ruptured lung in a freakish fall in a slab. Now, the Wipeout of the Year nomination has recognized the location’s claim to being one of the most treacherous surf spots in the world.

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