Coxy takes a beating!!
By James Onslow www.sharkbait.co.uk

Two times English Champion and European Games medal winner Cliff cox is lucky to be alive after being airlifted to safety from Kimeridge Bay after one of the best surf sessions the South Coast has had for a very long time.

Cliff, who runs the Pure Spirit Surf School in Brighton, had left Brighton at 5am to surf the semi-secret spot in Dorset. He said, 'it was one of the heaviest sessions of all time, waves were double overhead and the point was looking like Nias!'

It was Sunday 14th December and the wave period was 15 seconds. Cliff was gunned up and having one of his best ever surfs in the UK getting a double barrel on one wave.

But an hour and a half into the session it was all over. A monster, outside set came through and while duck-diving Cliff went over with the lip and found himself pinned on his board while his board was pinned on the reef with his fingers trapped underneath.

Cliff said, 'The force of the water kept me on the bottom, in the end I had to open my eyes to see where I was, it was just pitch black.'

All of a sudden his board got ripped away and it felt like it was tombstoning so he started climbing the leash.

'I haven't climbed the leash since Anchor Point [Morocco] in the 80's! But soon I realised I wasn't going upwards, I was just pulling myself across the reef!'

"Eventually I could see daylight and I was finally surfacing. I took a deep breath. I was just stoked to be alive!"

Surfaced, the board was still intact but it was then he noticed his arm was twice the width that it should be and blood began pouring from his fingertips. He made it onto land and those around came to help. He started to go into shock. There was an ambulance waiting but those on the scene didn't want to take any chances and the paramedics' helicopter soon arrived.

Cliff said, "They airlifted me to Poole Hospital but the pilot took me over the coastline the whole way. I saw all the points going off that wouldn't normally work. If I could have taken pictures they would have been insane!"

Cliff hadn't broken anything but his arm was fractured and he had exploded the muscle. His wetsuit had to be cut off and he was pumped full of morphine. A day later he was back home and 3 days later the bleeding finally stopped!

Cliff is probably at his peak fitness at the moment, Surfing any day possible, running three times a week and daily sit-ups and press-ups. Perhaps this is why the doctors reckon he could be in the water again within a week!