No, seriously. The poor dude broke his back.

Andrew Cotton, another gravity-defying Brit, took big wave surfing to a whole new level and even incorporated some flight into the water-based adventure sport.

The near-death wipeout went down in Nazare, Portugal – a spot that’s infamous among surfers for massive swell and the biggest ever recorded wave – 23,8m – in 2011.

According to the BBC, Cotton posted on social media from his hospital bed, saying:

“Thanks to everyone who helped this morning.

“Everyone was really calm, you guys really saved my back, which unfortunately is broken but definitely could be worse, so thank you.”

Glad he’s ok.

He’s been chasing waves all his life, but take a look at the one that got the better of him:

And I’m scared of sharks?

[source:bbc]