Surfing

Have you had or seen any near death experiences?

Surviving Massive Waves: A Terrifying Near-Death Experience

My probably my nearest death experience, although I wasn't near death at all, but it was it felt really scary, was at Nazaré in Portugal. I was surfing, paddling surfing, and I got caught by about a 30 to 40 foot wave landed on my head. I went under the water, swam under the water, the wave just like was super violent with me. I pulled my vest so the cartridges inflated me with air and came up after a very heavy hold down. A guy came in on the jet ski to pick me up. I jumped on the back of the jet ski and there was another 30 foot foamy, a massive foamy coming. It was on my ankles and I was holding on and this thing was right behind me. And then I felt my board starting to catch in the water because my board was still attached to me. It stuck in the water and ripped me off and I didn't get a breath. So I got pulled into this huge foamy. It got so manhandled, snapped my leash, came up. The water was very aerated. Another guy came in to pick me up and I jumped on the back of his ski. But because the water is so aerated, he didn't get any acceleration. I was holding on the wave hit us and I was just holding on, holding on and he was trying to accelerate and I was getting ripped off with no breath again and got super ragdolled in all directions. Came up feeling like really exhausted after that. And the fourth wave, just this big foamy thing just landed straight on my head and I didn't have time to dive and I just tucked into a ball and this thing just blasted me up towards the beach. And I got to the beach, I was coughing up blood. The horizon was doing this, like felt like my brain inside my skull had just been rattled and I was totally defeated and that was a really, really terrifying experience.

My closest near-death experience was when I was surfing at Nazare in Portugal. I got caught by a 30-40 foot wave and was pulled underwater. I was eventually rescued by a jet ski, but it was still a terrifying experience as I felt my board catching on the water and I almost got pulled off again with no breath. After a few more waves, one of them hit me straight on the head and I was coughing up blood when I reached the beach.

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One of the scariest experiences I've had, although not actually a near-death experience, was at Nazaré in Portugal. I was paddle surfing when a massive 30 to 40 foot wave crashed on top of me. I went underwater and struggled against the violent force of the wave. Thankfully, my vest inflated with air and I resurfaced after a long and intense hold down. A guy on a jet ski came to rescue me, but as I hopped on, another huge foamy wave approached from behind. My board was still attached to me, and as it caught in the water, it yanked me off without giving me a chance to take a breath. I was pulled into the immense foamy chaos, my leash snapping in the process. Eventually, another person on a jet ski came to my aid, but due to the aerated water, he couldn't accelerate properly. I held on for dear life as we were both tossed around by the waves, once again getting no time to catch my breath. After being thrown around like a ragdoll from all directions, I finally emerged feeling utterly exhausted. The fourth wave crashed directly on top of me without warning, leaving me no time to dive or escape its force. I curled up into a ball as it propelled me towards the beach. By the time I reached shore, I was coughing up blood and felt like my brain had been rattled inside my skull. It was an incredibly terrifying experience that left me completely defeated.

Surviving a Big Wave Wipeout: The Key to Staying Calm and Strong

The number one rule for surviving a big wave wipeout is to remain calm. Our urge when we're under the water is to fight to get back to the surface, but if we can never overcome the power of the ocean, it's always going to be more powerful than us. So we need to in a sense surrender. So what I do, especially in the beginning of the wipeout when I'm close to the falling lip and the initial impact, it's like really, really powerful and strong. I pull my limbs in like this. So I make myself strong so that my shoulders don't get ripped out of their sockets or I don't get bent in any funny direction. So I make myself super strong like this. I also clamp down my jaw so that if I get winded, like watered, my air doesn't go out of my mouth. So clamp my jaw, pull my, make myself super strong. And then often after the initial impact that's very intense, the wave will pull you deep under the water. And that's when I kind of open up like a sail. So that when I open up like a sail, uh, increased drag and I don't go as deep. Um, and while I'm under the water, I try to think positive thoughts and I count, uh, because often we, our thoughts are racing and it feels like we under the water for minutes. But when I count, it takes me back to, Hey, I'm not under the water for as long as I thought. If you count in that, that wipeout at Mavericks I had, I was under the water for 17 seconds, which when you think about it, that's super doable. But when I think about how violent and aggressive the beating is, that makes it terrifying. When I break it down to the counting, it helps a lot.

To survive a big wave, remain calm and pull your limbs in to protect yourself. Increase drag by opening up like a sail and count to keep your thoughts positive.

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To survive a big wave wipeout, the most important rule is to remain calm. Fighting against the power of the ocean is futile, so it's crucial to surrender in a sense. During the initial impact of the wipeout, I pull my limbs in close to make myself strong and prevent any injuries. I also clamp down my jaw to retain air in case I get watered or winded. After the intense impact, the wave will often pull you deeper underwater. At this point, I open up like a sail to increase drag and prevent myself from going too deep. While underwater, I try to think positive thoughts and count. Counting helps me realize that I'm not underwater for as long as it may feel during the chaos of the wipeout. For example, in one wipeout at Mavericks, I was underwater for 17 seconds, which is manageable when broken down into seconds. Counting helps alleviate some of the fear and panic caused by the violent beating of the waves.

What kinds of experiences have you had with animals while you've been surrfing?

Thrilling encounters with sharks and marine life while surfing

I've had some incredible experiences with animals. The big questions, obviously, living in South Africa. Have I ever seen a great white? I've seen about five, Great Whites, while surfing when I was young my friend actually had breached out the Water by great whites and Jeffrey's Bay. He landed back in the water. His board was shattered into three pieces, his leash it snapped and he had to swim ashore. Luckily, the shark didn't come back for him and all he had was like a little scratch on his wet suit on his stomach, nothing else? Else I've had to like swim past me really close. I could almost touch them, but all the other times when I've seen them, I haven't felt threatened. It's been a very strange surreal experience. I've also seen whales really close and dolphins, turtles, sea otters. It's one of the beautiful things about surfing is all the marine life, you see.

I've seen five great whites while surfing, and have also seen whales, dolphins, turtles, and sea otters. It's been a surreal and beautiful experience.

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I've had some incredible experiences with animals while surfing, especially living in South Africa. One of the big questions people often ask is if I've ever seen a great white shark. I've actually encountered about five great whites while surfing. When I was younger, a friend of mine had a close encounter where a great white breached out of the water near him in Jeffrey's Bay. His board was shattered, his leash snapped, and he had to swim ashore. Thankfully, the shark didn't come back for him, and he only had a small scratch on his wetsuit.

I've also had great white sharks swim very close to me, almost within touching distance. However, in those instances, I didn't feel threatened. It was a surreal and unique experience. Apart from great whites, I've also seen whales, dolphins, turtles, sea otters, and other marine life while out surfing. It's one of the beautiful aspects of surfing, being able to witness and appreciate the diverse marine life in the ocean.

Surf gangs and aggression: The reality of protecting waves

Also, if gangs real 100%. So, surfing is such a selfish wart, like, people is all this vibe that it's everyone's chilled and happy and having a good time together and they are places like that. But in certain places where people want to protect the wave, like the, the worst place is Hawaii the way with pipeline. There's local gangs back in the day, used to be really bad people. Get beaten up all the time foreigners coming in because They the locals wanted to make phone is scared the so that they break wouldn't get. So crowded nowadays say in Hawaii, many people have pressed charges against low the locals, they can't be as violent and aggressive but it's still there's a lot of intimidation out there. I go to Hawaii every year and it's really, really tough. Being a foreigner. They trying to get waves, maybe get one one good wave in about three hours because the local guys are just taking all the waves I know. In Jeffrey's Bay in South Africa, there used to be a local kind of gang called the white shirts and they also used to regulate the lineup. And if people are out of line or God in the way or dropped in by mistake, they will get beaten up and then asked to leave the town. So there's certain places around the world especially when the waves are quite quite good in a place where there are guys regulating the life, all surf gangs real 100%. So surfing is such a selfish War. The the funny thing about it is that there's often a correlation often people who serve smaller, waves seem to have a big ego and there seems to be more aggression because I've certainly found as the waves get bigger, you got to the arteries which are further out. There's this common respect suddenly because people are out there. There's a Brotherhood everyone's looking out for each other to make sure you all surviving and often when the waves get bigger people have a lot more respect for each other.

Surf gangs are very real in certain places such as Hawaii, Jeffrey's Bay, and other areas where surfers are trying to protect their waves. In these areas, locals can be intimidating and aggressive towards foreigners, and even beat them up if they don't follow the rules. However, when the waves get bigger, there is often a common respect among surfers and a brotherhood of looking out for each other.

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Yes, surf gangs are indeed real. While surfing is often associated with a laid-back and harmonious vibe, there are certain places where people form local gangs to protect the waves. One notorious example is in Hawaii, particularly at Pipeline, where in the past, locals would physically harm foreigners to deter them from crowding the waves. Though violence has decreased due to legal consequences, intimidation and aggression still exist. Foreigners may find it challenging to catch waves in such places.

Similar situations have been observed in Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa, where a local gang called the white shirts used to regulate the lineup. They would physically confront and expel individuals who disrupted the order or dropped in on others.

It's interesting to note that there seems to be a correlation between smaller wave surfers and larger egos, leading to more aggression. However, in bigger waves, there is often a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect among surfers, as they look out for each other's safety.

So, while surf gangs may not be prevalent everywhere, there are certain locations where they exist, and they can impact the dynamics and experiences of surfers in those areas.

How do you handle the pros and cons of adrenaline?

Mastering Adrenaline: Preparation and Mental Game Are Key

Adrenaline, adrenaline, Tiffany has pros and cons. I think it goes a long way before I got into the big waves because obviously in the window as a huge adrenaline is going through the reef, but I like to prepare long in advance. I like to have a lot of discipline in my training and I try to mimic the big wave, environments in the swimming pool in my training. I try to visualize as the big waves, the big wipeouts, I put myself in the situation long before it actually happens and there's I like to call this like building a foundation of being prepared and when I have the strong Foundation of Readiness, when the adrenaline hits, I feel like this at lessens the impact and it helps me to still remain calm to think clearly when the pressure is on and make good decisions. So I think Like being prepared and it's a huge part. And then I think also the mental game, when I'm able to, I talk to myself all the time. So I try control the thoughts that are coming into my mind. I try for my mind with statements that are only empowering and encouraging and that also helps a lot with adrenaline.

Tiffany uses a combination of preparation, mental game and visualization to help manage the adrenaline she feels before big waves. She focuses on building a strong foundation of readiness and positive self-talk to stay calm and make good decisions in high pressure situations.

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Handling the pros and cons of adrenaline requires preparation and a strong mental game. Before facing intense situations, such as big waves, I like to prepare in advance and maintain discipline in my training. I simulate the conditions of big waves in the swimming pool and visualize scenarios, including wipeouts, well before they happen. This builds a foundation of readiness, which helps lessen the impact of adrenaline and allows me to remain calm and think clearly under pressure.

Additionally, the mental aspect plays a crucial role. I constantly talk to myself, consciously controlling the thoughts that enter my mind. I focus on empowering and encouraging statements, which helps me manage the effects of adrenaline.

By combining preparation, mental focus, and positive self-talk, I am able to handle the pros and cons of adrenaline effectively.

What’s been your biggest wipeout and hold down?

Surviving a Giant Mavericks Hold Down

My biggest, why pod and hold down was at Mavericks, San Francisco basically took off on this wave and I was a little bit late on it and a wind past vertical, there's probably like a 35-foot wave, the nose of my board dug into the water and I fell forward and I body surfed on my back down this huge wave. And I remember looking up in the and the lip coming over me and I was inside this mess. Of barrel at broke over me and then what happens is, as the wave sucks is like a Vortex and it sucks, suck me up. And it was this long moment of Stillness sucking up and up and up. And then I went over with the lip and then it did. I hit the impact and was so violent in the wave. Pushed me really deep under the water and it Mavericks, the waters cold and dark. It's more dense. So, it pushes you deeper. I just pulled me down Into the Depths and called me under for about 25. S, i was pressed on the floor on the ground just with what felt like the weight of the entire ocean pushing me down and I pulled my vest. So my inflation based. So it filled me up with air eventually. Let me go came up and luckily there wasn't another big one after that.

I was surfing at Mavericks and a big wave broke over me and i got held down for 25 seconds. I eventually made it back up to the surface by pulling my vest which inflated with air and allowed me to float back up.

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My biggest wipeout and hold down occurred at Mavericks in San Francisco. I took off on a wave, but I was a bit late and ended up going past vertical. The nose of my board dug into the water, causing me to fall forward and body surf on my back down a massive 35-foot wave.

As I looked up, the lip of the wave broke over me, and I found myself inside a barrel. The wave created a vortex that sucked me up, and there was a brief moment of stillness as I was lifted higher and higher. Then, I went over with the lip, experiencing a violent impact. The wave pushed me deep underwater, and at Mavericks, the water is cold, dark, and more dense, which made it even more challenging.

I felt the weight of the entire ocean pressing me down, and I was submerged for about 25 seconds. It felt like an eternity as I was pressed against the ocean floor. Thankfully, I had a vest with an inflation device, so it eventually filled me up with air, allowing me to resurface. Luckily, there wasn't another big wave following that intense experience.

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Matt started surfing when he was 6 years old, in Cape Town, South Africa. He grew to become one of the best big-wave surfers in the world. He watches the globe for large storms, and when all the elements come together, books a ticket and chases the energy across the world. He documents the big waves these storms create and produces high-quality content that is distributed through various global media platforms. Matt's other passion is sharing his experiences to inspire and empower people to ride their "big waves".

Matt Bromley