:52:01
You're sure you're near
the surface...
:52:03
...then what you have perceived
to be up is actually the bottom.
:52:06
And the leash is pulling hard on you,
the board is tombstoning up there.
:52:10
And I realize that if there
was another wave that was coming...
:52:14
...I'm finished.
:52:16
At one point, it started to stop,
and I thought, "Okay...
:52:19
...I'm gonna live," you know.
:52:20
- I started to swim up...
- And the next wave hit.
:52:23
Then it started all over again,
every bit as bad as the first part of it.
:52:31
I remember feeling underwater,
like going over a waterfall underwater.
:52:35
Literally getting sucked into a hole.
:52:37
Here I am 30 feet down, and now
it takes me another 15, 20 feet down.
:52:41
And I slam into the bottom down there.
And you think:
:52:44
"Oh, my God. I'm deeper
than anyone's ever been."
:52:49
You get to a point
when you're down there, like:
:52:52
"Okay, this is not
happening anymore."
:52:54
You know, you gotta
get to the surface to get air.
:52:57
Finally, when I come up to the surface,
I remember it being so bright.
:53:03
It was like being in a dream
and all of a sudden:
:53:08
Back to, "Okay, this is real.
This is live now."
:53:36
Almost every traumatic thing
that can happen to you at Mavericks...
:53:40
...is due to the leash.
:53:43
Leashes are a dangerous thing
in any surf spot over 20 feet.
:53:49
There's those few critical situations
where leashes are a hindrance.
:53:53
After the first wave, Flea found
himself on the wrong end of his leash.
:53:58
When entangled in a crevice...
:53:59
... the urethane cord
held him in place...