Severely wounded in Jabalia and returned to surfing: "I do not surrender to any disability"
Tamir Dudi was wounded in battle against terrorists, underwent 17 surgeries, and eventually had to part with his arm. Now, aiming for the podium at the World Surfing Championship, the Nahal Brigade officer tells of the moments of survival in Jabalia, the long road back to the water, and the love that began with a Facebook post: "If I had to, I would go out a thousand more times to fight for the country."
Being a patriot is something one never recovers from. Tamir Dudi (26), an IDF officer who was severely wounded in Iron Swords, dreams these days of only one thing: to stand on the podium at the World Surfing Championship to be held in California in November. To look straight ahead and know that against all odds he won — after losing an arm and still struggling to this day with excruciating pain in his leg.
Dudi has been surfing all his life, but at 18 he went to a pre-military academy and reduced his time in the water. October 7 caught him as a lieutenant in the Nahal Brigade waiting to go to company commander training. He entered with his team into battles in the Gaza Envelope, where they fought in Sha'ar HaNegev and Mefalsim and rescued wounded from the Nova.
"I asked the soldiers that whoever is afraid should raise their hand," he says. "I didn't wait for an answer. I told them that this is not the time to be afraid. This is the time to save lives. We saw everything we shouldn't have and did everything we needed to."
On January 16, 2024, in a battle in Jabalia, Dudi and his team engaged in a battle against terrorists who emerged from a shaft and tried to surprise them. "It was 20 minutes of a hard battle and about 20 seconds of survival when we were face to face with the terrorists, and all this time I was mumbling to myself that I am getting out of here alive and more importantly, making sure my whole team returns home safely. They threw three fragmentation grenades at me and shot me in the leg. I lay on the floor and saw that I was all broken, but luckily my team pulled me back and saved my life. Another officer was wounded beside me. They flew me to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital and throughout the period I underwent 17 surgeries in Israel, the USA, and Austria, while I had severe nerve damage in my leg and arm and I understood that I would no longer return to full function and was going through an emotional and physical rollercoaster knowing that I had lost my independence.
After a year and a half of hospitalizations and discharges, and attempts to save my left leg and right arm, I looked for something that would comfort me. That would bring back my hope. One day I called a friend of mine who is a surfing instructor and asked him what could be done so that I would return to surfing. The answer I received was: 'You're not on the right track.' All this time, when the arm is completely paralyzed and I am suffering from excruciating pain, I make a decision to perform an amputation of the arm after all the medical opinions stated that there is nothing to do because the arm will not recover. I fly to Austria to perform the amputation. The doctor there tells me 'you need courage.' It was performed on September 30, the eve of Yom Kippur. I wake up from the amputation when my whole family is outside and I am smiling. Believing that it will be okay and that I will find the way to reach a good place."
And when do you return to surfing?
"After I go through the amputation, the longing and the desire for surfing become stronger and burn in me literally. I go to the West Beach in Tel Aviv and try to return to surfing, but I can't stand in the water, let alone paddle. I try again and again and see that it is improving. I manage to do it, barely, far from what is needed but there is a direction. Someone asked me how I surf with one arm, so I told him that I do everything. I don't cut myself any slack. I learned to love my body anew."
Looking for a home, established a home. Dudi hears about the Surf Park TLV complex, which includes a special pool for surfers. "When I arrived for the first time, I made a decision that I do not surrender to any disability and return to surfing. One of the coaches at the place, Daniel Sigura, told me clearly: "You have the potential to reach very far, just be persistent." I started coming 3-4 times a week to the complex and worked as much as possible to improve."
Dudi is becoming more professional and flies to a training camp in California. "It is a decision to make surfing the center of my life. There are countless falls with the question of whether to get up in the morning and for what, and surfing is an excellent reason to start the day. The water for me is healing, and after I almost lost my life I enter this journey with all my strength and with maximum focus."
In March 2024, Dudi, a Holon native originally, began looking for an apartment in Jerusalem. "I posted on Facebook, and a girl named Nov approached me who promised to help me find a home," he smiles. "We looked for a home and in the end we established a home. We fell in love and got married a year and four months ago. I can say that it is a classic case of love that is not dependent on anything."
After five months in the training camp, there is no professional who does not see in Dudi a great hope in the field (which as of now, has not yet entered the program of the Paralympic Games). The surfing apparel company Billabong adopts him, as well as the surfing equipment company Ultra Wave. Ahead of the World Championship he says: "If I had to, I would go out a thousand more times to fight for the country without thinking twice. I don't think I will be a world champion in November, but I want to stand on the podium. To know that I won. After I mark a 'V' on this goal, I will go to study psychology and God willing the big dream is soon to be a father."
