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Surfer Albee Layer almost dies


For Albee Layer this was a near-death experience.

So the first wave was a decent pounding, but the second wave landed on my head right after I swallowed a little water. Was under for a while on that one.

Really violent and like coughing underwater to the point I felt going unconscious was probably not too crazy far away. When I came up I locked eyes with Barger and gave him an “I’m okay”. then turned to see I was in the worse place possible, the thought “if you were going to die out here this is exactly what you’d do” came into my head.

Being in front of rocks 6 feet tall out of the water not knowing what the wave behind was going to be. I dove under another one trying to stay away from the big rock. Then some how ending up perfectly dry docked after the 4th wave, which was a total blessing.

I knew I was out of a lethal situation but figured breaking a foot or wrist on the rocks was still a definite possibility (arms were going to be blocking my head) and stitches seemed inevitable. I jumped into the next wave perfectly and hit a few rocks but nothing too hard. I then got washed in to sit in the tide pools shaking in like a weird panic calm.

I saw Kai Barger paddling frantically in towards me looking petrified, I saw Jon Spenser taking his shirt off running from his camera to help and could hear Matt Meola, Roberson Brothers and Elliot Leboe (drone filmer) give a hoot from up top and I gave them the “okay” pat on the head. I didn’t want to check my body for wounds but when I did I almost literally didn’t have a scratch.

Which still blows my mind every time I replay it. If you did what I did a hundred times I think 10% you’d be okay 80% in the hospital for something from a couple stitches to like a TBI and 10% worse. I used up a life time of dumb luck in just under two minutes.

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