A British surfer has broken his back after suffering from one of the most vicious wipeouts you have ever seen.
Andrew Cotton, 36, was surfing off the coast of Portugal when he lost his balanced and was battered by a giant wave.
The Portuguese coastguard attempted to rescue him with a jet ski but the situation got worse when the jetski was flipped upside by a second massive wave. He was eventually rescued and brought to the shore on a spinal board. Thanks to the relief of everyone involved, Cotton is recovering well and already can't wait to get back out there.
He posted on Instagram: "What can I say, I got a little excited this morning and ending up having possibly the worst wipeout impact wise of my life. Thank you to all the lifeguards and crew on the beach who helped stabilise me and do a great spinal recovery, I can’t name everyone but you all did your bit to get me safely to the hospital.
Obviously huge shout out to the team: @mcnamara_s for the waves, @hugovau for rescue, company and laughs in the hospital and @polvo32for the calls on the radio and friendship. I have broken my back but I’ve been really lucky, I’m already looking forward and focusing my energy to get fit and back out there on some more big rollers!"
Cotton is from Braunton, Devon, and only started taking surfing seriously at the age of 25. In 2012, he gained media attention when he towed American surfer Garrett McNamara into what the Guinness Book of World Records confirmed to be the biggest wave ever surfed.
See the horrifying video below.
