Giant Wave Nearly Slams Jet Ski Into Surfer
Staff
TAHITI -- A jet skier lost control in a giant wave, nearly smashing into surfer.
Organizers say the world's top 45 men and 17 women were in the small fishing town for the Billabong Pro Tahiti over the weekend. Waves regularly topped 20 feet.
The surfer was able to duck at the last second and avoid injury. The abandoned jet ski barely skimmed over his head and plunged deep into the reef instead.
World champion Andy Irons was a horrified onlooker as local surfer Ramana Van Bastoloer narrowly escaped serious injury on the legendary Teahupoo surf break today
Van Bastoloer is known for riding some of the biggest waves thrown up at Teahupoo but he admitted it was his scariest moment as he narrowly avoided an unmanned jetski flying at him as he rode a crunching four metre wave.
He had just been towed onto the wave by friend Reef MacIntosh on the jetski when the craft was caught in a wave lip and careered over the lip above him as MacIntosh narrowly avoided going with it.
Van Bastoloer ducked just in time as the jet ski whizzed past his head and was wrecked as it speared into the reef.
Preparing for the Billabong Pro world championship Tour event starting later this week, Irons was sitting in the channel nearby when the accident happened.
"That was the heaviest thing I have ever seen," said Irons.
"My really good friend Reef was actually driving the ski and he jumped off, almost went over the falls and the ski went over Ramana's head, he got barrelled by his own ski.
"It missed his head by about six inches, it was psycho."
The incident did not stop Van Bastoloer and Irons from continuing to tow out and surf the monster waves, even if the local man was shaken by his near-miss.
"I saw a black thing out of the side of my eye, I just ducked my head and then I don't know what happened," said Van Bastoloer.
"I saw this thing going and I was like, where is the guy driving on it, then I saw Reef trying to come up and we lost the ski but good thing I never lost my friend and myself, so it's okay."
He had never experienced a moment like it.
"It is the heaviest by far, what happened today was the first time and hopefully the last time, no hard feelings, shit happens, you can still replace a jet ski but you can not replace your body."
Irons had never towed at the infamous left-hander before and the incident failed to dent his confidence, going wave for wave with the tight tow pack.
"It was crazy, that was the first time I have ever towed out there and it was an amazing experience," said Irons.
"The waves weren't ideally perfect, it was a little bumpy but when they came through they were just so thick and heavy it was awesome."
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