Surfing: Paige Hareb rushed to El Salvador hospital after cake celebration

Paige Hareb during day 7 of the Surf City El Salvador, ISA World Surfing Games. Photo / International Surfing Association.

Kiwi surfer Paige Hareb has revealed she was rushed to hospital after falling unconscious while celebrating her birthday in El Salvador.

Hareb missed qualifying for the Olympics at the World Surfing Games after she fell just short of the mark to secure a third spot in the New Zealand lineup.

Hareb has posted on Instagram that she had just had her cake before passing out for up to three minutes.

She has been given a clean bill of health after undergoing tests.

"I was just going through a pretty quiet dinner and my friend surprised me with a birthday cake. I managed to have a piece and then straight after that I started feeling like I was going to faint, and got super hot and sweaty and next thing I was gone. I couldn't see anything. I could hear them for a little bit…I thought I was only out for a split second but they said I was out for a good two or three minutes. I think it was more scary for all my friends. I'm just so thankful that they were all there for me and helped me out," Hareb told Newstalk ZB.

Hareb said the police ride to the hospital saw her friends sitting in the back of a ute.

"I came to as the police arrived and my friends helped me into it. The police ride was definitely a fun one. All I was worried about was [my friends] were still on there as we were going so fast and over so many bumps but we got there safe," she added.

Hareb said after going through two IV drips, she's been given the all-clear.

"When it first happened we thought someone had spike my drink just because it came on so sudden and I was completely out to it. But we think I was just super-dehydrated. It's super hot over here and I had a really long surf right before dinner. Obviously just didn't hydrate enough. I didn't have any symptoms. Not a headache or anything. The doctor just thinks my body went into complete shock."

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In her final bid to earn qualification at the International Surfing Association World Games, Hareb finished in 11th after a strong run through the contest.

However, needing to finish in the top seven eligible surfers to earn a spot at the Games, the result meant she missed out by two places.

It means 2013 Junior World Champion Ella Williams and Billy Stairmand will be the only Kiwis in the lineup in Japan later in the year, after earning their spots at the 2019 ISA World Games with the continental qualification spots.

At the 2019 event, the highest placed surfer from each continent aside from the Americas secured a spot for their country in both the men's and women's fields.

New Zealand will be one of 12 nations to compete in the women's field, and one of 14 to compete in the men's. Australia, Brazil, France and the United States are the only countries to fill their full four-person quota.