Terrifying moment surfer is wiped out by giant wave but miraculously survives
This is the terrifying moment an Australian man is swept away by an eight-metre monster wave and knocked unconscious while surfing at one of the world’s most dangerous surf spots.
Footage shows the moment surfer Mikey Brennan, 38, fell from his surfboard when a wave crashed on him while surfing at Shipstern Bluff in Tasmania on Friday, a spot known for its wild waves.
After being swept away by the wave, Brennan disappeared into the water for a few seconds before resurfacing.
A video clip shows his body floating in the water as a man on a jet ski approaches him to offer help.
In the video, a bystander can be heard saying, “Are you OK? He’s OK.”
Footage shows the moment surfer Mikey Brennan, 38, fell from his surfboard when a wave crashed on him while surfing at Shipstern Bluff in Tasmania on Friday
After being swept away by the wave, Brennan disappeared into the water for a few seconds
Brennan was briefly knocked unconscious and had to be fished out of the water by someone on a jet ski
While Brennan was unconscious, he was quickly fished out of the water and regained consciousness, then rushed to the Royal Hobart Hospital for evaluation.
The man suffered bruised ribs but was later discharged.
Brennan was a guest on Australian morning program Sunrise today to talk about the accident.
“The wave was probably one of the biggest waves I’ve ever caught. And just the amount of energy in the swell, it was just pretty intense. I went down and got knocked out.”
But the incident doesn’t stop him from catching big waves. “I’ve been doing it my whole life,” he said.
“I love the ocean. I guess, I don’t know, I might have nine lives or something.”
Brennan shared the clip of himself getting knocked out on his Instagram account with his 12,300 followers.
The surfer previously broke his back while surfing on Tasmania’s east coast after hitting a reef.
Brennan was taken to hospital but only suffered bruised ribs
But the incident won’t stop him from catching big waves
The incident came just days after a Florida surfer tragically died earlier this month after crashing into a pier in Daytona Beach.
Jorge Alvarado, 49, was surfing on the south side of the Sunglow Pier in Daytona Beach when the accident happened.
Alvarado may have hit a sandbar and become tangled in a piling under the pier, said Tamra Malphurs, director of Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue.
A witness said he saw Alvarado hit his head on the post and then go under it.
It took surfers several minutes to free Alvarado, after which rescuers were able to save him before he was taken to hospital and put on a ventilator.
But Alvarado’s friend, Justin Gore, sadly announced last week that he had passed away.
He wrote: ‘It is with a heavy heart that Jorge has passed away and gone home to be with the Lord.’