Tarkwa Bay in Nigeria is one of Africa’s best wedges. As waves deflect off the breakwall in the corner of the bay a powerful bowl forms, which then unloads onto a shallow sandbank as a thick, muddy barrel. The take-off takes practice and there’s countless closeouts, so the stakes are high for those looking to get pitted.

The stakes are high but the barrels are worth it. Just ask local, John Micheletti.

At 6 to 8-foot it’s downright treacherous, but as local barrel master, John Micheletti, showed this past weekend, it can be just as dangerous when you think it’s not at its most brutal.

“Real surfers get hurt on 1-foot waves…” claimed John when posting evidence to Facebook of this gory head wound he suffered while surfing small peaks there this past weekend.

With all sorts of hard and sharp bits on a surfboard capable of inflicting damage, wiping-out on little waves also gives minimum time to take evasive action and cover ourselves from the possible THUD! Luckily for John it was only a flesh wound.