World No.5 Owen Wright is said to be recovering well after a head injury sustained in a wipeout forced the star Australian to withdraw from the Pipeline Masters.
Wright was surfing with fellow-Aussie Mick Fanning at the time, and Fanning says the 25-year-old from Lennox Head in northern NSW is doing well.
"I hope he's doing good," Fanning said. "From what we hear he's doing good, I love the guy."
Fanning also said the pair had returned from the water after the incident and Wright had seemed to be fine before returning to his room.
Wright was scheduled to compete in heat two of the first round, which starts on Friday morning (AEDT) at Hawaii's famed Banzai Pipeline but is suffering from severe concussion and mild bleeding to the brain that has limited his mobility.
The forecast is for the booming conditions that have marked this week on the North Shore to continue for at least another day.
Wright had shown superb form in those conditions over the last few days, but that changed dramatically on Thursday when a succession of waves crashed on his head and he eventually came to shore.
An ambulance was called when Wright returned to the Rip Curl team's house and clearly was not well.
"He came in and felt weird and couldn't really speak or anything. It was like his body was completely out of fuel it was pretty scary looking," said compatriot Matt Wilkinson.
Wright is the latest surfer to be hurt this week at Pipeline.
Australian world No.1 Mick Fanning was among surfers who came to the aid of young American Evan Geiselman when he nearly drowned at Pipeline.
Wright was among six contenders for the world title that will be decided in Hawaii this week with Fanning chasing a chasing his fourth world title.
That would put him level with compatriot Mark Richards and behind only 11-time world champion Kelly Slater.
The contenders also include defending world champion Gabriel Medina from Brazil and Australian Julian Wilson, who won at Pipeline last year.
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