I had been living and working in Hossegor when I took a nasty bail at La Graviere last summer.

The waves were a decent size and I had enjoyed two hours of bliss with a morning off teaching surf lessons before the onshore wind picked up. I was about to head in as the shorebreak started to get pretty heavy as the tide pushed, when I caught a set wave.

There was a guy in front of me where I went up to do a turn and I knew if I didn’t bail I would hit him so I ditched my board and went with the lip like a ton of bricks.

I landed awkwardly at the bottom of the wave on the side of my neck. As soon as I hit I got electrical impulses running through my arms and legs.

Next thing I know, I’m lying on a spinal board getting helicoptered off to Bayonne Hospital. I had bruised my spinal cord and damaged a nerve in my neck.

I spent 12 weeks in a neck brace and I’m only just getting back into the water now with continual daily rehab. I was so incredibly lucky and I’m thankful everyday as I took a lot for granted before.