Kiwi surfer Paige Hareb has been forced out of her next two tour competitions, after crashing into hidden rocks during a practice session in Mexico.
The collision, which occurred in the lead-up to a qualifying event, left Hareb with broken ribs and a lung abrasion.
Immediately scratched from the Mexico qualifier, the 28-year-old will also withdraw from an upcoming qualifier and ensuing Championship Tour event in South Africa, the first women's contest of its kind at famed Jeffrey's Bay.
Hareb took to social media to express her disappointment, recounting the drama of the incident in detail.
"[I] did a turn and jumped off right before a rock, and was sweet, but came up right in front of it, with my board touching it and me about a metre away," she recounted in an Instagram post.
"I couldn't get my board in time before the next wave, so tried to swim sideways to the side of the rock, but the next wave came super quick and slammed me sideways sooo hard straight into it. I heard my ribs crack underwater!!! Broke ribs number 9 & 10.
"Could hardly breathe, somehow floated to shore and a local Mexican surfer finally helped drag me in, after he thought I was waving at him and waved back at me twice.
"I have an abrasion on my right lung and some liquid inside from it. They were worried I had punctured my liver or lung, which I nearly did."
The Taranaki-product will likely return to New Zealand in a bid to recover, setting her sights on the US Open in California late next month.
Newshub.