Helmet credited with saving pro surferâs life after nasty wipeout Helmet credited with saving pro surferâs life after nasty wipeout By Mark Carpenter | February 15, 2021 at 5:41 PM HST - Updated February 16 at 8:44 AM HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Veteran professional surfer Mikey OâShaughnessy is no stranger to navigating some of the worldâs biggest waves. But sometimes, even the pros run into trouble. OâShaughnessy is recovering at an Oahu hospital after hitting his head on the reef at Pipeline following a brutal wipeout in high-surf advisory conditions. Fellow pro Billy Kemper saw the incident unfold and was among the many to bring him ashore.