Australia's Joel Parkinson, a perennial top-tier competitor on the ASP World Tour, suffered a severe foot injury Friday that is expected to prevent him from competing in the upcoming Billabong Pro at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa, and might sideline him indefinitely.

The reigning J-Bay champion, who is currently ranked eighth in the world, was surfing at Snapper Rocks in Australia and was injured after falling while tucked inside a heaving barrel.

"He tucked into a super-dredgy one and just disappeared inside, then showed up bobbing around in the whitewash. He was definitely in a lot of pain," said a report on Australia's Surfing Life website. "There were no rocks where he went down so he must have gotten mixed up with his board."

Surfing Life reported that Parkinson "was cut down to the bone around his ankle and calf area. He definitely wasn't walking."

Parko later Tweeted about the wound and even included this photo that revealed his nearly-severed heel. "Don't look at this photo if you don't like blood!" he warned his 11,563 followers. In an earlier Tweet the surfer acknowledged, "Yes I cut my heel off."

He seemed in good spirits, anyway. Here's hoping the wound is not as serious as it looks and that the personable athlete and family man, who finished last season ranked No. 2, is back on his feet and snapping stylish top-turns sooner rather than later.

The tour will miss his presence in the lineup at J-Bay.