The Bay Citizen scored an interview with Jacob Trette, the 30-year-old surfer who almost died after attempting to surf a massive wave at Mavericks. Trette was released from the hospital yesterday. Quotes from the interview:
“I’m feeling pretty good, I’m feeling a little bit light-headed but I feel like I’m still normal.”
“I was pretty fatigued and had lots of headaches, but I recovered in five days. The doctors were really surprised….”
“I remember catching a few good waves and then all of a sudden a big wave caught me…Everyone started paddling out to get over the wave but it just took us all. It was a mess — everyone got taken. There was not one person that made it over that wave.”
“I knew there was going to be hell to pay if I didn’t make it” over the wave.
“All I remember is swimming to the surface repeatedly and getting knocked down by a following wave, and swimming up to the surface again. I guess I had four waves hold me down until my body finally gave up.”
“I woke up and I was like, ‘What the hell happened?’ I was like, ‘Seriously, like I’m really in the hospital?’ I never would have thought in a million years that a wave like that would destroy me.”
Full interview