Spectacular drone footage captures surf and jetski wipeout in Portugal
In the extraordinary drone footage, big wave surfer Alex Botelho paddles into a huge wave in Nazar'e, but falls off his board in a nasty wipeout, losing his board in the process.
Botelho, 27, manages to come to the surface quickly, but the next wave is already approaching, making it impossible for his teammate and 40-year-old surfer Hugo Vau, on the jet-ski, to pick him up.
After the two first waves, Vau is finally able to rescue Botelho with the jet ski, before heading towards the shallows to find Botelho's surfboard and continue riding the waves.
After recovering the board, a rogue wave surprises the two and capsizes the jet ski with both Vau and Botelho getting dragged in different directions. Vau attempts to right the jet ski, but has to dive down suddenly to avoid another deadly wave crashing on it.
Both surfers eventually swam to shore and suffered no injuries. The jet ski was also washed ashore and only lightly damaged.
The incident took place on February 16, one of the last substantial Big Wave sessions of the winter.
Praia do Norte, the beach both men were surfing from, is renowned for its powerful and dangerous waves and attracts surfers from around the world.
In 2011 Hawaiian surfer Garrett McNamara set a world record there for the largest wave ever surfed, at 24m (78ft).
The shallows seen here are considered the most dangerous spot on the beach. Writes filmer Pedro Miranda: "Waves can be unpredictable and terribly thick, the foamy white water makes it very difficult to manoeuvre the jet skis, and that's where most accidents happen."
Both Vau and Botelho are no strangers to Nazar'e and are among the most skilled watermen in the world with many years of experience in Praia do Norte.
DOWNLOAD A VERSION WITHOUT CAPTIONS HERE:
+MUSIC IS ROYALTY-FREE+