Posted on 01/06/2023 8:42:59 AM PST by BenLurkin
Veteran Brazilian surfer Marcio Freire died Thursday while surfing off the coast of Portugal in an area known as Nazaré, which is home to some of the world's biggest and most dangerous waves, according to reports.
The Portuguese National Maritime authority said, "A 47-year-old man of Brazilian nationality died this afternoon after suffering a fall while practicing towed surf at Praia do Norte."
The statement said authorities were alerted and the surfer was rescued on jet ski by lifeguards before being brought to the beach.
Freire was one of three Brazilian surfers featured in the "Mad Dog" documentary which featured their attempts to conquer the infamous surf break dubbed "Jaws" off of the Hawaiian island of Maui.
Located roughly 75 miles north of Lisbon, the Nazaré surf spot became world renowned for its mammoth waves after American surfer Garrett McNamara set a world record after ridding a 78-foot wave in 2011.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Queue Quote: “He did doing what he loved to do”
Dang it. “He DIED doing what he loved to do”
I knew what you meant.
That certainly looks challenging.
Not a good month for Brazil.
Vaxx takes out another legend.... /s
Neptune finally took him.
I can’t even imagine the desire to see that wave and think “I totally want to ride that”.
I’m not risk averse and should probably be dead, but I still have limits…
At 51 seconds you can see him fall off his board.
https://twitter.com/radiobandnewsfm/status/1611323549376987137?s=20&t=28zp3bEQ427wUTwtoAqYnw
My older sister and brother played blind tag in a wonderful maple tree in our yard on the farm. I was about 8, sis 11, and bro 12, when we started doing it. Whoever was ‘it’ had to close their eyes and listen carefully to track down the target.
We never fell playing it, because of being so cautious. But we loved playing it. At age 10, climbing in around in that tree by myself, I decided to do a jump from limb to limb like I’d seen Tarzan do on tv. Broke my left femur. Could have been my neck.
Doing what I loved? But I’m glad it didn’t kill me. Would have missed out on having a wonderful wife, kids, and grandkids.
47 is getting a little old for the extreme stuff.
I like in Mark Twain’s book “Letters from Hawaii”. In 1866 he was describing surfers to America that had never heard of it.
“SURFING
In one place we came upon a large company of naked natives, of both sexes and all ages, amusing themselves with the national pastime of surf- bathing. Each heathen would paddle three or four hundred yards out to sea (taking a short board with him), then face the shore and wait for a particularly prodigious billow to come along; at the right moment he would fling his board upon its foamy crest and himself upon the board, and here he would come whizzing by like a bombshell! It did not seem that a lightning express-train could shoot along at a more hair-lifting speed. I tried surf-bathing once, subsequently, but made a failure of it. I got the board placed right, and at the right moment, too; but missed the connection myself. The board struck the shore in three-quarters of a second, without any cargo, and I struck the bottom about the same time, with a couple of barrels of water in me. None but natives ever master the art of surf-bathing thoroughly.
- Roughing It”
At the beginning of Covid, Billy Kemper had a terrible surfing accident. He had to beat the clock by getting him out of Morocco to the states for life saving surgery while airports were being shut down due to Covid. His rehabilitation was grueling. He’s back at it. But, he’s also younger. YT has a series on his ordeal.
All I need is a cool buzz and some tasty waves......
Hawaii waves in winter are monsters. Not safe even for the pros
Heck, even the small waves in Kapalua sent me spinning back to shore.
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