sport news Bra Boy surfer opens up on the horror wipeout that almost saw him lose a leg trends now

sport news Bra Boy surfer opens up on the horror wipeout that almost saw him lose a leg trends now
sport news Bra Boy surfer opens up on the horror wipeout that almost saw him lose a leg trends now

sport news Bra Boy surfer opens up on the horror wipeout that almost saw him lose a leg trends now

Bra Boy Mark Mathews has opened up about the horrifying wipeout that almost saw him lose his leg and plunged him into a dark place.

The big wave surfer turned global keynote speaker - who as a youngster was initially fearful of the ocean - saw his world come crashing down on October 25, 2016.

Raised in Maroubra in Sydney's eastern suburbs, Mathews, 39, grew up with fellow Bra Boy Koby Abberton and has conquered notorious surf breaks such as Teahupo'o in Tahiti and Jaws in Maui, Hawaii.

He was working on a surf shoot on the south coast of NSW when he was severely injured as he was being double towed into six-to-eight-foot waves and landed feet first on a shallow reef.

He suffered a long list of serious injuries, including a broken leg, dislocated knee, two snapped ligaments, major nerve damage and an artery that tore lengthways.

Bra Boy Mark Mathews (pictured right with Koby Abberton) has opened up about the horrifying wipeout that almost saw his leg amputated

Bra Boy Mark Mathews (pictured right with Koby Abberton) has opened up about the horrifying wipeout that almost saw his leg amputated

The big wave surfer turned global keynote speaker - who as a youngster was initially fearful of the ocean - saw his world come crashing down on October 25, 2016 when he suffered a long list of serious injuries when he hit a shallow reef on the NSW south coast

The big wave surfer turned global keynote speaker - who as a youngster was initially fearful of the ocean - saw his world come crashing down on October 25, 2016 when he suffered a long list of serious injuries when he hit a shallow reef on the NSW south coast

His torn artery meant Mathews was on the verge of losing his leg.

'I was at a place called Kioloa, and made a mistake, picked the wrong wave,' Mathews told Daily Mail Australia.

'Initially in hospital I was relieved when the doctor told me I wasn't going to lose my leg ... if we arrived an hour later, the leg was gone.

'But when they said I had severe nerve damage which was unlikely to heal and that my surfing career was (probably) over, it started a downward spiral.' 

After close to a year spent in his Maroubra apartment across the road from the beach 'with the blinds closed', Mathews was approached by his good mate, Australian filmmaker Macario De Souza, to document his story on behalf of Red Bull.

Initially hesitant, Mathews eventually agreed, and 'The Other Side of

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