American Surfer Punched During Dispute at Bali Beach

American pro surfer Sara Taylor was punched in the head during a dispute with several men at a beach in Bali, Indonesia, footage from the incident shows.

Footage recorded by Taylor’s friend Charlie McHarg shows Taylor in the water off Pandawa Beach.

According to Taylor, who gave an interview to Brazilian news outlet Globo, Brazilian surfer Joao Paulo Azevedo punched her in the back of the head after she and a friend of Azevedo’s dropped in on the same wave.

Footage from the incident shows Taylor, in a green T-shirt, and a man in a white T-shirt both attempting to surf the same wave. Taylor pushes him off to prevent a collision.

After the incident, Azevedo can be seen paddling towards Taylor before striking at her head.

Further footage, recorded by McHarg, shows the altercation continuing on the beach, with several men rounding on Taylor and Charlie. Profanities are exchanged before the footage cuts off.

In a video included in Globo’s report, Azevedo apologized for the incident, but also claimed that the footage shared by Taylor was edited and did not show the entire altercation.

“Yesterday’s disastrous event occurred due to a disagreement where I was also attacked, disrespected and insulted by the couple, even though I was convinced that nothing justifies my attitude. What I would like is for the entire video to be released, without editing, so that everyone can understand what actually happened,” Azevedo said, according to a machine translation.

Taylor told Globo she had reported the incident to police.

Quebra Onda, a Brazilian clothing brand, posted on Instagram following the incident that they had ended their partnership with Azevedo, reaffirming their stance against “any and all types of violence, mainly against women”. Credit: Charlie McHarg via Storyful

Video transcript

- I'm saying. Stop.

- Get off of me. What's wrong? Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Hey.

- Help. Oh yeah. Yeah. Go away. Go away. What the [BLEEP]. Go away. Go away. Yo.

- You're in my water.

- What the [BLEEP], dude. I think your guy [BLEEP] for you. [BLEEP].

I'm saying. Stop.

- Get off of me.

- What's wrong? Hey, hey, hey, hey. Hey.

- Help. Oh yeah. Yeah. Go away. Go away. What the [BLEEP]. Go away. Go away. Yo.

- You're in my water.

- What the [BLEEP], dude. I think your guy [BLEEP] for you. [BLEEP].