The Blue Horizon production team has been busy the past few months shooting.Plenty of new sequences are in the can with Andy and Rasta. It appears that Andy is off and running this year on WCT tour, currently in first place after his win at Bells. After Tahiti, Andy and Kelly share the lead. Plenty of action in Tahiti with Kelly winning the event, his first in three years, and with a foot injury that happened the same session that Jack took a beating. Jack's account..................

I've just returned from Tahiti Sunday May 25. Already I've heard the many stories in relation to my accident (over the falls on a 90 footer during the contest etc.). For the record.

First and most importantly I'm OK. I am very thankful that I had so many friends who were on the case to help me at the time and that I was wearing my Gath Hat when it all came down. As I remember it....

The surf in the middle of the Billabong Pro came to a stand still. It's good because Andy had turned his right ankle and needed time to let it recover. A few days later about 3 pm, the swell looked like it was starting to move so Andy said he was out there to test his ankle. I went with him.

We went out on my jet ski that had the rescue sled attached and we were the only ones out there for about half an hour. The swell had truly started to push and there were good fun, but windy 4-5 ft waves. Shortly after Scott Needham, Eppo, Lyon Hamilton, Rochelle Ballard, and Kealla Kennelly arrived in Poppies boat and joined Andy in the line up.

Andy was getting these south swells that were starting way up the reef and peeling all the way to the inside. I couldn't seem to connect with him to shoot unless I sat right down on the inside where the wave unloads onto the reef. I moved inside for the next set.

As he took off on a solid one, I turned the camera on and started shooting. The wave was a cross of a south and a west and it really wedged. Andy didn't pull into it, instead deciding to go around the throwing lip and did a big turn. I thought he might do a snap at the top, but he started to pull out. I decided to shoot until he went over the wave.

Andy said later "As I pulled out I looked down and Jack was still filming. It was really shallow behind him and it was a solid 5 ft tepee that he was in the centre of. As the wave exploded, I yelled out to Lyon 'I think Jack just got worked'. There was some heavy explosions going on where I last saw him."

I remember turning the camera off and diving under. Immediately I got picked up and slammed into the reef on the left side of my head and shoulder. The shoulder hurt, but it was the blow to the side of my head that really shook me. I can only liken it to someone taking a baseball or cricket bat and hitting me full on. The impact was intense.

I was stunned. My mind racing about how much my head and shoulder hurt, about how I'd never been hit so hard before. Then I started to get sleepyand just relaxed, but then I remembered that I was still underwater. " You've got to get to the surface", one voice told me while another said " but it's so nice and quiet down here". Then the adrenalin kicked in and
the survival side of the debate won. It seemed like forever to get my head probably only 1 ft to the surface. I came up.

I was seeing stars and my fingers and hand holding the camera were numb. Iwas in calf deep water with 5 ft of white water about to hit me. I got bowled over and miraculously didn't get a scratch as I got dragged over the reef.

I then stood up down near the right. Feeling like I was going to pass out at any time, I thought if I went into the lagoon I'd fall face first and no one would see me. I'd drown before anyone spotting me. I saw some water draining into a little crack in the reef and thought I'd better try and get outside the reef for help.

The right at Choops drains almost dry and before exploding on the reef. No sets were coming so I jumped into the crack that took me thru the middle of the right. I kept telling myself not to pass out and "please don't have a set". My right arm and hand were busy holding onto my camera and I dog paddled with my left.

Finally in deep water, I still had a 50 yard swim to the boat. Once there it was impossible to climb in and Scott brought the jet ski over and I rolled onto the sled and passed out.

Within 5 minutes on the beach I was receiving the best medical attention possible. The edge of the helmet had slid under my jaw during the blow and it's edge cut into my neck. Before too long I was stitch up and on my way to Papetee for x rays that came out OK with nothing broken.

I'd like to thank all the friends and people who assisted me during the ordeal. Especially Eppo Andy and Lyon and the others who actually were keeping an eye on me after getting smashed. Seeing me make progress to the boat was enough to make them believe all was OK. "Why didn't you wave for help?" they asked. I was too busy trying to stay afloat with the one good arm. Scott, Patrice, Dr. Chris Lambert, Heidi, Chrystal, Bushy, Brian and the water patrol, as well as all the other friends who gave their concern and support during it all.