Action starts with Professional Big Wave Surfer Toby Cunningham getting towed into a massive wave in Nazaré, Portugal, during the big wave session of February 7, 2019, which was one of the biggest days of this Winter season in Praia do Norte.

After successfully riding the huge wave, which was the first wave of a big set, Toby gets caught by the white water and falls off his surfboard. By then Toby was further in the inside, which is the most dangerous spot in Praia do Norte, also known as the impact zone. His rescue team mate, Surfer Glyn Ovens tries to reach him with the Jet Ski, but there’s little opportunity for a pick up since the next wave was already too close. Toby takes the first impact of a giant mass of white water, and as he resurfaces Glyn was already getting close with the jet ski to attempt another rescue, but Toby sees another huge wave rolling in and signals Glyn to abort the pick up, taking that second enormous impact on the head. The moments that follow were of great stress, and little window of opportunity for a successful rescue, Toby’s 25 years of Big Wave experience is put to the test, he manages to stay calm under pressure and eventually gets picked up by Brazilian Surfer Ian Cosenza that came in to help with the rescue.

Toby Cunningham, 41 years old, is an experienced Big Wave Surfer and Waterman, from Coronado (California, USA). He started surfing Big Waves when he was just 16, in 2003 he won the XXL Biggest Paddle Award with what was then a world record paddled wave of 56 ft. In the past 5 years Toby has been spending his winters in Nazaré and facing what is now know as the “Mecca” of Big Wave Surfing. In his own words Toby gave us this comment:
“Here in Nazare it makes everything I've ever surfed in the past feel small. Getting a beat down in Nazare can be an incredibly fun experience or a daunting experience. It all depends on your mindset. I choose to enjoy doing out of control flips underwater where it is pitch black and incredibly loud. I absolutely love that I have no control over what is happening to me underwater and letting the ocean do whatever it pleases.”

Besides Surfing Big Waves, Toby’s other passions involves Global Finance and Crypto Currencies, he does volunteering in India at the Mother Theresas Home for the Sick and Dying Destitute, Climbs mountains in Nepal, does Cave Diving and about anything that involves Adventure.

This incident had no injuries, Toby was back surfing that same day, one hour later.

Praia do Norte beach, near the fishing village of Nazaré, has become famous worldwide for huge waves in 2011, when Hawaiian surfer Garrett McNamara set a world-record for the largest wave ever surfed at 78-foot at the time, in 2017 that record was broken by Brazilian surfer Rodrigo Koxa, setting the bar at 80-foot.