Garrett McNamara has nearly survived a heavy wipeout at Mavericks, Half Moon Bay, in Northern California.
The Hawaiian big wave surfer paddled into one of the biggest Mavericks waves of all time, air-dropped it, rode it for a couple of seconds and then and fell into the abyss about halfway down the face of the giant.
McNamara, 48, bodysurfed the remaining part of the wave until getting caught by the massive whitewater avalanche. The Guinness World Record holder was immediately rescued and pulled out of the water by a jet ski.
"It was literally one of the worst wipeouts I've seen in big wave surfing in a long time. It set the tone for the day and things never really got better after that. GMAC was taken to the hospital with a dislocated shoulder. Our thoughts and prayers go out to him for a quick and speedy recovery," wrote Frank Quirarte.
Garrett McNamara had been tracking the El Niño storms, and he knew he could score high in the infamous Californian surf break. There were only half a dozen human beings out there, including surf photographer Curt Myers, Quirarte, Nic Vaughn, Ion Banner, and Everaldo "Pato" Teixeira.
McNamara wanted to paddle in. He didn't want the rope. And, despite the high currents, the gusty winds, and the sneaky sets, the Hawaiian went for it. GMAC did everything right, but his death-defying attempt would earn him a dislocated shoulder.
"A million thank you's to everyone who has been sending positive vibes. Everything went well and is put back together, and doctors expect an 110 percent recovery. I want to send a special thank you to everyone out at Mavs who helped get me to safety," added McNamara at the San Mateo General Hospital.
