A man has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon after breaking the skull of a fellow boarder and surf coach with his board paddle.

Paul Taylor Konen was out on the waters of Sunset Cliffs in San Diego, California on June 26, 2018, and forced Kevin Eslinger to duck dive in order to avoid the former’s paddleboard. After the initial altercation, Konen allegedly knocked Eslinger’s wife off her board, and when he asked Konen why he did as such, the latter hit Eslinger on the head with his paddle.

Eslinger, 56, was hit on the head with Konen’s paddle but managed to swim back to shore despite breaking his skull, spending the next two days in hospital unable to speak.

Per SurferToday, Konen said in his defence that “if I can catch a wave, it’s mine.”