Breaking My Neck at Sunset Beach: A Wipeout I’ll Never Forget

Hi, I’m Andy Pierce, and I’ve spent much of my life in the ocean, surfing some of the best and biggest waves around the world. But on Friday, February 7, 2025, something happened that I never saw coming.

One moment, I was doing something I’ve done my entire life. The next, I was fighting for my life.

This is the story of how it happened, what I went through, and how I ended up in surgery just a few days later.

The Perfect (and Unexpectedly Dangerous) Session

The waves were big that afternoon - powerful, clean, and surprisingly empty for Sunset Beach. It was the kind of day that made me grateful to be in the water. I paddled out on my 6’8 step up surfboard, planning to stay on the inside, do some turns, and maybe find a tube if I got lucky.

On my first wave, I caught a whitewash takeoff, and it sling-shotted me forward. As I dropped in, I saw it - an unavoidable closeout. There was no shoulder to escape to, no option to straighten out. I had to bail.

I dove headfirst, as I’ve done hundreds - maybe thousands - of times before.

The moment I hit the water, I knew something was wrong.

An extreme sharp, electric pain shot through my right arm, and just like that, my index finger went completely numb. While under water, I thought my right arm was broken with the immense pain. My body felt... off. I knew I needed to get to the surface.

As I popped up for air, I barely had a second to register what had happened before I saw it - another massive wall of whitewater was already bearing down on me.

And my right arm wasn’t working.

Taking Two Waves on the Head with a Broken Neck

With only one functioning arm, my ability to dive under the wave was pretty much nonexistent. I did my best to push myself down, but it wasn’t enough.

The wave exploded right on top of me.

I got rag-dolled, tumbling through the chaos, my body spinning and twisting uncontrollably. The pain in my arm flared with every movement, but I had no control over what was happening. All I could do was hold my breath and wait it out.

When I finally surfaced, gasping for air, there was no relief.

The next wave was already there.

I knew I needed to stay calm. I took a deep breath and I tried to dive. Again, I couldn’t get deep enough. And again, the impact sent me spiraling underwater, flipping, twisting, completely out of control. My body rag-dolled through the violent whitewash.

The pain in my arm was unbearable, radiating from my shoulder down into my hand like fire. I was fully at the mercy of the ocean, taking the beating and pain as best that I could.

Finally, the wave passed.

I didn’t know my neck was broken. I just knew my arm wasn’t working, my neck hurt, and I needed to get out of there.

Somehow, with one arm, I managed to paddle to the channel and signal the lifeguards.

From the Lifeguards to the ER

Thankfully, a lifeguard on a jet ski was stationed at Sunset Beach that day. He spotted me quickly and got me to shore without hesitation.

I rinsed off, still convinced it was just an arm injury. The pain was bad, but I figured I had maybe pinched a nerve or dislocated something.

So I did what any (stubborn) surfer would do.

I drove myself to Kahuku ER.

Halfway there, the neck pain got worse - way worse. By the time I made it to the hospital, it was clear that something serious was going on.

A CT scan confirmed it: I had fractured my C7 vertebra. Possibly my C6 as well.

That’s when I called my wife Lauralee. She drove me to Castle Hospital for further testing, where an MRI revealed a clear C7 fracture, along with a herniated disc.

Surgery and Recovery

Hearing the words "fractured C7" is one of those moments where everything slows down.

A broken neck.

I thought about how close I came to being paralyzed. I thought about how I had paddled in, how I had driven myself to the ER, completely unaware of the severity of the injury.

After getting a second opinion and talking to friends who had gone through similar injuries, I made the decision: surgery was the best option.

The doctor fused my C6-C7, removed the herniated disc, and cleaned out bone fragments pressing on my nerves. The good news? A (mostly) full recovery is expected in several months.

Looking Ahead

This injury was a harsh reminder of how quickly things can change and go wrong. The ocean gives, but it also takes - and it doesn’t care how experienced you are.

I’m incredibly lucky. Lucky to have gotten out of the water. Lucky to have been surrounded by fast-acting lifeguards and skilled surgeons. Lucky to still be moving.

Now, it’s all about healing. Resting. Getting stronger.

It’s going to be a long road back, but I know I’ll surf Sunset Beach again. And when I am well, I’ll have a whole new appreciation for every wave, every session, every moment out there.

Until then, I’ll be taking it one day at a time.