Nazaré in Portugal is a hotspot for big wave surfers. Crushers up to 30 meters high are piling up here in the Atlantic. One of them has now almost been doomed to the surfer Alex Botelho.
At the time of the accident, the waves were said to have been more than 17 meters high. The 28-year-old was pulled out of the danger zone by a friend on a jet ski on Tuesday when both were hit by violent waves and flung into the air.
–
Video recordings of the accident show how the apparently unconscious Botelho was washed up on the beach, pulled ashore by rescue workers and put on a stretcher. He was taken to a hospital.
–
The injured athlete is conscious and his condition stable, according to a statement by the World Surf League (WSL). “He will stay in the clinic for further monitoring. We wish him a full and speedy recovery.”
The WSL thanked the local doctors for their quick response. Botelho, born in Canada as the son of a Dutch woman and a Portuguese man, competed for his father’s home country in the “Nazare Tow Surfing Challenge”.
–
The Portuguese surfer Nic Von Rupp wrote on Instagram: “Today I was confronted with the reality of our sport. It breaks my heart to see my brother between life and death before the eyes of the world. Frankly, only a few have survived. “
Brazilian Rodrigo Koxa holds the record for the highest wave ever surfed. In 2017, he took a 24-meter crusher in Nazaré.
–
