A daring rescue attempt to recover a professional big wave surfer who wiped out massively on a "65-foot" wave off the coast of Portugal failed dramatically on February 17.

Professional big wave surfer Toby Cunningham of California was carving through a colossal wave in Nazare, unable to outrun the wave he wiped out needing to be rescued by jetski.

The subsequent recovery of Cunningham saw him board a raft attached to the jetski but an incoming wave crashed upon them returning both to the foamy water.

According to Nuno Dias who filmed this video, no injuries were reported during this incident.

Dias said: “This was one of the most dramatic wipeout-rescue events of the season, gladly no one was hurt.

"This is all business as usual for these guys, they are all professional so unlike regular people, they know how to act in these scenarios without panic.”

The impressive video has been submitted to the annual World Surf League's Wipeout of the Year awards.

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 17, 2020, which was one of the biggest days of this Winter season in Praia do Norte with some waves estimated above 65 feet.

After successfully riding the most critical part of this monster wave, Toby ends up being smashed by the massive wall of white water, and after a long hold down underwater he resurfaces just in time of taking the second wave of the set on his head. At this point, his team mate Clément Nts on the jetski, finds a window of opportunity to execute the rescue and picks up Toby, but thats when things gets ugly, as a third monster wave approaches and the jetski speeds, Toby is unable to hold on to the sled and takes the third wave impact on his head. And it doesn’t ends here, as the wave outruns Clément’s jetski and “swallows” both Clément and the Jetski.

Despite all the drama, at this point both Toby and Clément are now much closer to the beach and away from the deadly impact zone, both are then rescued by big wave surfer Lucas Chumbo and Sérgio Cosme that were following this stress situation over the radio and showed up really quick.

No injuries were reported during this incident, and according to Nuno Dias who filmed this video “this was one of the most dramatic wipeout-rescue events of the season, gladly no one was hurt” (…) "this is all business as usual for these guys, they are all professional Waterman's so unlike regular people, they know how to act in this scenarios without panic”.

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.

Praia do Norte, near the fishing village of Nazaré, is renowned for its powerful and dangerous waves and attracts surfers from around the world.