51 year-old, Ross Clarke-Jone, who was recently nominated for 5 XXL Big Wave awards, proved that even the most experienced outdoorsmen can have a close call when he came off his board and was in serious danger of drowning after riding a 25-foot wave.
He was dragged under water into a jagged rocky area that was inaccessible to first aid jet skis.
Clarke-Jones is the only surfer to ride over Nazare’s iconic Big Mama – and it was this experience and knowledge of the local conditions that enabled him to weather the onslaught and come out relatively unscathed. Bystanders said that if a less experienced surfer had been in Clarke-Jones’ position, they may not have made it out alive.
The harrowing experience left Clarke Jones with a concussion and a possible broken leg. Clarke-Jones and his big wave peers regularly take on waves that are higher than 80 feet and have the force of a freight train. The spectacle of watching them hurtle down the face of a mammoth wave ensures they have some of the most watched videos on the internet.
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