Brazilian big wave surfer in terrifying wipeout in Nazare, Portugal
A Brazilian big wave surfer had a terrifying wipeout in Nazaré, Portugal on Friday.
A dramatic video of the incident shows Thiago Jacaré, 35, hit a bump and fall as he rides a giant wave.
He is immediately swallowed by a wall of white water and is held down for several seconds.
He surfaces just in time to catch a breath before taking another monster wave on the head.
His teammate, big wave surfer David Langer, is unable to rescue Jacaré on his jet ski because he's floating around right in the impact zone.
Eventually, after taking a total of five waves on the head, German surfer Sebastian Steudtner manages to pick up Jacaré on his jet ski and whisk him away from danger to the beach.
Although completely exhausted, Jacaré was unharmed in the terrifying ordeal.
He was taken by ambulance to hospital as a safety precaution.
"This was by far the worst wipeout of my life, I barely got the chance to breathe between waves," Jacaré later told the filmer.
"When I got to the sand, I was completely exhausted, to the point I couldn’t even move," he added.
“I want to thank Sebastian Steudtner for the rescue...I won't ever forget this day!” he concluded.
Thiago Jacaré is an experienced big wave surfer from Brazil.
He worked for many years as a professional lifeguard and is also involved in the organisation of big wave competitions in Brazil.
Praia do Norte beach, near the fishing village of Nazaré, became famous worldwide for huge waves in 2011 when Hawaiian surfer Garrett McNamara set a world record for the largest wave ever surfed.
