Daredevil Surfer Rides 30ft. 'Jaws' Waves . . . . At Night!

By - 314 words

Language

Reading Level

Listen to Article

For most surfers, riding big waves even during the day, can be a little intimidating. Therefore, one can only imagine what it must have felt like for Australian big wave surfer Mark Visser, who made history on January 21st, when he surfed a 30ft. monster off the shores of Maui, Hawaii, in the wee hours of the morning.

And, we are not talking just any waves, but those that come off a deep reef break which has been nicknamed 'Jaws', thanks to the ferocity of the swells, which can get as high as, 120ft. and move as fast as, 30mph.

Mark Visser's night surf was not an impromptu event, but one that has been in the works for two years. In order to pull off this incredible stunt, he trained by spending time blindfolded inside underwater caves, swimming for miles in the ocean at night, and freediving from distances, as high as,100ft.

On the night of the event, as is custom during the high-swell season when waves travel too quickly to be caught by paddling, Mark was towed in by a jet-powered watercraft. To ensure that his ride could be caught clearly on tape, his buoyancy jacket and surfboard were fitted with LED lights. The area around was also illuminated with light from a helicopter hovering above.

What followed next can only be described as magical - A scene that even mesmerized Mark, who said that it was the scariest, but most exciting thing he had ever done, especially given the fact that he could not see a thing and had to depend completely on his instincts and years of surfing experience.

Dubbed 'Night Rider', this is the first in a series of nine extreme, first-time adventures that will be undertaken by Mark - If successful, they will be compiled into a documentary entitled '9 lives' - So, stay tuned for more exciting stunts.

Sources: grindtv.com, extremehorizon.com

Cite Article
Geography
Learn Keywords in this Article
538 Comments
  • rainbowkissesalmost 12 years
    i never went surfing but i want 2
    • coralalmost 12 years
      love night surfing always sneak out only got caught 1
      • jonathanalmost 12 years
        cool
        • mac123
          mac123about 12 years
          killer wave dudes
          • Nameabout 12 years
            that is not easy dj fatal
            • kerikeriabout 12 years
              cool dud
              • dj fatalabout 12 years
                awww so esy
                • ezraroom1
                  ezraroom1over 12 years
                  awesome
                  • Alexover 12 years
                    Night surfing? Easy!
                    • mojo-joover 12 years
                      ESAy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I can do that awith my eyes closed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!