Photographer Brent Bielmann has gone to the planet’s extremes to capture the most breathtaking visuals. Although Bielmann covers all the fields in photography, he highly enjoys being a surf photographer. From 10ft gigantic waves to underwater photography, the Oahu native has mastered capturing amazing stills. However, as a surf photographer, Brent has also faced concussion-oriented injuries, just like professional surfers.
On April 22, Brent Bielmann appeared in a candid conversation with free surfer Jamie O’Brien on his YouTube channel. The surf photographer shared his experiences taking pictures in the big surfing waves like Pipeline and Jaws. While talking about them, Bielmann mentioned a near-fatal surfing accident that left him in a miserable state.
Brent Bielmann experienced a concussion for a year
During the conversation between Jamie O’Brien and Brent Bielmann, the duo discussed the importance of wearing helmets in surfing. The surfer explained that, unlike professional surfers, maximum photographers maintain their safety by wearing helmets. According to O’Brien, it reduces the chances of injuries. However, Bielmann had a different opinion on the surfer’s statement.
The surf photographer mentioned experiencing a traumatic incident in a pipeline competition while shooting, despite wearing a helmet. He explained that on the big day of a championship, Bielmann had just recovered from flu. Brent also had a calling from within. He shared, “Something told me like ah you know don’t think with your ego just take it easy go out and shoot what you know with a longer lens.” However, when Brent went to shoot, he suffered an unbelievable accident.
Brent Bielmann explained that while shooting an 8 to 12 ft wave with a fisheye lens, he felt a wave break right on his head. The low tide wave had grabbed the photographer making him unable to do anything to save himself. At one point, Brent felt like somebody had hit him in the back of his head with a baseball bat. The only thing he could do was put his head above the water and take deep breaths. Luckily, he began to swim a little with his free hand until the lifeguards rescued him.
Later on, he could not remember his name for some time. Brent expressed, “I got pretty messed up.” The experience had caused a concussion that lasted for a year. Listening to his story, O’Brien concluded that he might have lost his life had he not worn a helmet. Apart from recalling the unfortunate experience, Brent Bielmann also remembered the first boat trip he had with Jamie O’Brien where the duo saw the most amazing surfing spectaclle.