This is the terrifying moment an Australian man was swept away by a giant eight-metre wave and left unconscious while surfing in one of the most dangerous surf spots in the world.
Footage shows the moment surfer Mikey Brennan, 38, fell off his surfboard when a wave crashed into him while surfing at Shipstern Bluff in Tasmania on Friday, which is known for its raging waves.
After being swept away by the wave, Brennan disappeared into the water for a few seconds, before surfacing.
In a video clip, his body can be seen 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 okay? He’s okay.”
Footage shows the moment surfer Mikey Brennan, 38, fell off his surfboard when a wave crashed into 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 momentarily knocked unconscious and had to be pulled out of the water on a jet ski.
Although Brennan was knocked unconscious, he was quickly pulled from the water and regained consciousness before being rushed to Royal Hobart Hospital for a check-up.
The man suffered bruises to his ribs but was later discharged.
Brennan appeared on Australian breakfast show Sunrise today to discuss the accident.
“The wave was probably one of the biggest I’ve ever caught in my life. And the amount of energy in the swell was quite intense. I fell and was knocked out.”
But the incident won’t stop him from catching big waves. “I’ve been doing it all my life,” he says.
“I love the ocean. I guess, I don’t know, I have like nine lives or something.”
Brennan shared the clip of him being knocked out on his Instagram account with his 12,300 followers.
The surfer had previously broken his back while surfing off the east coast of Tasmania after hitting a reef.
Brennan was taken to hospital but only suffered bruises to his ribs.
But the incident won’t stop him from catching big waves.
The incident comes just days after a Florida surfer tragically died after crashing into a pier in Daytona Beach earlier this month.
Jorge Alvarado, 49, was surfing on the south side of Sunglow Pier in Daytona Beach when the accident occurred.
Alvarado may have hit a sandbar and then become entangled in a piling beneath the pier, Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue Director Tamra Malphurs said.
A witness said he saw Alvarado fall headfirst into the piling before sinking.
It took several minutes for the surfers to free Alvarado, allowing rescuers to perform life-saving measures before he was taken to the hospital and put on life support.
But Alvarado’s friend, Justin Gore, sadly announced last week that he had died.
He wrote: “It is with great sadness in our hearts that we inform you that Jorge has passed away and has returned home to be with the Lord.”
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