Just days after Australian surfer Mick Fanning’s narrow escape from the jaws of a shark, a Hawaii-born pro surfer somehow survived unhurt after a horror wipe-out on a giant wave.
Niccolo Porcella was filmed taking on a monster wave at Teahupoo off the Pacific island of Tahiti last week when he was suddenly thrown from his board and sent into a terrifying spin by the barreling wall of water.
At one point he disappeared briefly as he was slammed down on the treacherous coral reef below the surface.
Mercifully, the 27-year old emerged unscathed from what many in the surf community are billing the “heaviest wipe out in history.”
Teahupoo is known for its huge, powerful waves, which often reach up to seven meters in height. Once thought to be too steep to surf, it is now a regular venue for many big-wave surf competitions.
“I knew it was going to be heavy, but in the moment, you’re so focused and tuned into your line and what you’re going to do you don’t realize what’s happening,” he told surfinglife.com.au.
“When I first penetrated in the water, I was like, ‘ah, this is too good to be true! It’s so peaceful! Let me just stroke to the top!’ And then on one hand I felt water, and the other I felt air. And then I just thought, ‘oh sh*t, I’m going over the falls.’
“It was the most violent thing — I got annihilated. I was bounced, pin-balled on the reef, the whole nine yards. Just up and over and up and over.”
Asked how he felt after his miracle escape, he replied, “The best day of my life was marrying my wife, but this, for sure, was second best. I’m coming back every year … I’m in love with Tahiti.”