New Zealand's only female CT surfer, Paige Hareb, announced yesterday that she injured her ribs surfing in Cabo San Lucas and will therefore miss the QS 6000 she had travelled to participate in and the upcoming JBay Open, which for the first time was to have a women's competition.

"I'm so angry, heartbroken and ribs broken," Hareb wrote on Instagram, explaining that after falling into one wave, she narrowly missed hitting a rock, but the next wave pushed her squarely into the rock. "I felt my ribs breaking," she added.

The Kiwi is at a key moment of the season because she is ranked 16th and is fighting for an almost guaranteed place at the Olympic Games with her qualification for the 2019 CT.

The WSL has not yet announced who will replace Hareb, but it is expected to be either Pauline Ado (the first surfer not to qualify via the CT) or Macy Callaghan (the first surfer not to qualify via the QS).

Meanwhile, in Cabo San Lucas the event was postponed today after Hurricane Bud hit Baja California.

 

INJURY!...did a turn and jumped off right before a rock and it was sweet but came up right in front of it with my board touching it and me about a meter away. I couldn't get my board in time before the next wave so I 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 LOL 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, so lucky! ? #kookoftheday UNFORTUNATELY I have to pull out of the qs event here in Mexico and the @wsl Jbay event for now. Absolutely gutted! Heartbroken (and rib broken ?) A BIG THANKYOU to the guy that dragged me in, @kurtyjay @elliejbrooksss @harrywrighty_ @isabella_nichols @dmacsurfboards and whoever else I missed that helped me in my delirious state, THANKYOU! ❤ Hoping to be able to fly home soon to recover quickly! ????

A publication shared by Paige Hareb (@paigehareb) the 14 Jun 2018 has 9: 38 PDT