NAKED RESCUE: Laird Hamilton Saves Tow Partners Life in Maui

Laird Hamilton got naked to save a man’s life. That’s right – Hamilton stripped out of his shorts and turned them into a tourniquet on Monday when tow and wind surfer Brett Lickle gashed his leg during a tow session on Maui.

Reportedly, Lickle was driving a ski at 80-foot Outer Sprecks when he was mowed down by a set wave. During the sequent beating, Lickle was washed overboard and cut his calf on the aluminum fin of a tow board lashed to the rail. Hamilton, who was towing behind Lickle when their ski was unable to outrun the set, swam to his tow partner’s aid, applied the tourniquet, and then retrieved the ski after a long swim. He then rushed Lickle to shore—still sans shorts—and continued to administer aid until the paramedics arrived. Lickle survived the incident—he received approximately 50 staples in his calf. While recuperating, he described the episode as “the most intense things I’ve ever been through.” Stay tuned to Surfermag.com for more information as this story develops.