Mike Parsons has suffered a serious injury while surfing at Ocean Beach, San Francisco.
The big wave surfer was enjoying the large swell that hit California on the 20th January, when a severe wipeout ended up in pain. Mike came down with the lip on a triple overhead set wave.
Parsons suffered a broken neck at the C7 vertebrae and dislocated his shoulder. He was immediately rescued and taken to hospital, where he is expected to fully recover. Fortunately, he was wearing his floatation wetsuit and a surfer - Charlie Vaugh - helped him get to the sand.
"I thought I was paralyzed under water. I had that crazy tingly feeling. My right arm worked a little bit, but it felt like it was dangling; like it had been ripped off my body 'cause I had no feeling."
The Californian wave challenger has already surfed a 77-foot wave at Cortes Bank, in 2008, and scored an epic ride at Jaws, to open the surf film "Billabong Odyssey".
The accident at Ocean Beach happened when the Mavericks Invitational was taking place, at Half Moon Bay.