Guilherme Tâmega has saved a bodyboarder from drowning at Banzai Pipeline on Oahu's North Shore, Hawaii.
The six-time world bodyboarding champion was in the water when Dylan McGinn dropped into a classic Pipeline barrel, wiped out, and hit his head on the reef.
The Brazilian, who was catching a few waves alongside Tahurai Henry and Jamie O'Brien, noticed the accident and immediately rushed to help.
Tâmega kept McGinn afloat until more help arrived. He was without a pulse when he reached the shore.
"I saw a double-up coming and Dylan paddling for it. He was deeper, and then I saw him paddling for it. I saw the wave breaking, and, all of a sudden, I saw him in the impact zone, and only the board came out," explained Guilherme Tâmega a few minutes later.
"After the set came, the guy was already drifting towards Gums. I paddled as hard I could towards him, and by the time I got to the board, I had to pull my hand down and grab him by the shirt to pull him out."
"He was already purple. I tried to keep his head out of the water. He was really heavy, but we put him on the soft top board and dragged him to the beach."
The entire episode was captured by the lens of Joao Ricardo. Dylan McGinn was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but he survived and will be recovering in the next weeks.
The North Shore of Oahu has been hit by a series of powerful swells.
The accident took place in maxed out Pipeline conditions, just three months after Andre Botha saved the life of Evan Geiselman.