Watch: Marcelo Luna // Near death
Back on November 9th, before the Nazare Challenge and the XXL swell that wasn't, Nazare had it's first legit swell of the season. This season is shaping up as a turning point for Naz, there's always been the believers, but focus on the wave has reached a critical mass of sorts.
With the attention comes the crowds and Nazare, unlike other big wave spots, lacks a coherent operating pattern. To date the chaos has been seperated by distance but slowly the gaps are filling.
Back to November 9th, where a number of tow squads roamed the inside sections, much to the chagrin of the skis waiting for the outside peaks, including Marcelo Luna who crossed the wake of a scarpering ski and fell at speed. Behind that wave was an even bigger one, plus two more by which time he was near the rocks.
Luna was rescued by Chumbo and Alemão de Maresias who carted him to safety. He suffered a Grade 3 tear to his hamstring, is sidelined for six weeks, and missed the subsequent swells. Meanwhile, he's been preaching for order in the Nazare lineup but it's hard to see how things won't get worse.
Footage and interview by Tim Bonython.
Comments
Just have a priority zone with dropped bouy out the back. wait turn call if going early . Water safety and photos on inside only. Wind surfing and Kiters ride out pass furthest incoming wave rider... easy... Call out the snakes if towing or paddle or give up priority. Clowns on skis are still clowns.
The skis were running parallel when Luna's ski turned to tow him in. He was always going to have to cross the wake of the other ski. Maybe the other ski shouldn't have been there, but in the end it was Luna's bad call.
yeah that's what i was thinking too
I don't want to undermine the severity of this fall, but to me he was already going down well before he hit the wake of the ski(@ 00.22 sec)?
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Agreed. Full kudos to him but that board was bogging well before the wake.... Maybe just lots of up bump on the face but its hard to say it was the ski washes fault exclusively or at all.
Me too +3. I like to blame everything and everyone when I eat it. I loose focus when distracted and if you are not fully committed. Has anyone drowned out there?
Skis are gay.
I thought it looked like an earlier part of the wake that had lost its white cap.
Yeah you can see the reverb/whitewash off it form again further up the wave face. I think he was affected by it.
Actually on closer zoomed in look he def falls before the wake, nose dives on a lump of water but his eyes might have been on the wake and thrown him off a bit.
Target fixation.
He does seem to fall before the wake gets to him but even so- having watched the coverage live - the jet skis looked more like bunny rabbits hoping around an open paddock with someone firing shotguns towards them - absolute mayhem
Shoulda Ollie'd the lot...perhaps a functional future move ;)
hasn't he seen any footage of shippies?
they have a few steps in the wave to deal with that makes his "chop" look like a pond ripple :)
That ski wake had nothing to do with it, just bogged it on a lump in the face by the looks!!
If you can't green horn a Sea Demon collect your crab pots & join mighty moose up on the hill.
What do these Nancy Drew Space Station novels have to do with surfing? Dead Boring!
Best thing about that was the song.
He kooked it before the wake, lucky guy though. Those rocks look nasty