Big wave surfer Alex Botelho survives horrific freak accident at Nazare

Canadian-born Portuguese surfer was being towed by partner Hugo Vau on a jetski when they were struck by two waves simultaneously that launched them airborne and knocked Botelho unconscious

Big wave surfer Alex Botelho is “stable and conscious” in hospital after suffering a horrific accident during the inaugural Nazare Tow Surfing Challenge on Tuesday.

The Canadian-born Portuguese was being towed out of the impact zone by partner Hugo Vau when he was thrown into the air by two large waves colliding, which also sent the Vau and his jetski airborne in a freak accident.

Botelho was knocked unconscious by the impact and fellow competitors rushed to drag him out of the water as he was violent tossed around in the surf. Support staff were able to grab hold of his body and drag him out of the water, before putting him on a backboard and transferring him to an ambulance.

A statement confirmed that Botelho remains in hospital where he regained consciousness/

"Big wave surfer Alex Botelho was involved in a very serious incident during the Nazare Tow Surfing Challenge," the World Surf League (WSL) said in a statement.

"He was rushed to the hospital and we now have an update on his condition. Currently, he is stable and conscious. He will stay at the hospital for further evaluation.

"A heartfelt thank you to the safety and medical teams for their quick response. We are wishing Alex a full and speedy recovery."

But further details on his injuries and condition were not immediately available.

The accident renewed calls for the WSL to reconsider their position on using big wave locations such as Nazare on their circuit. The Portuguese beach saw the world record for the biggest wave surfed broken in 2017 when Brazilian Rodrigo Koxa conquered a wave recorded at 80 feet (24.38m), surpassing the previous record set by Hawaiian Garrett McNamara in 2011 or 78 feet (23.77m).

Nic Von Rupp, another Portuguese big wave surfer, admitted that seeing the incident made him question whether the event should have been going ahead at all.

“Today I was confronted with the reality of our sport,” Von Rupp wrote on Instagram. “Heartbreaking watching my brother (Botelho) between life and death right in front of the eyes of the world. Honestly, very few would have survived.”

Staff and fellow competitors rushed to Botelho's aid after the wipeout (EPA)

Conditions on Tuesday resulted in waves of around 45 feet hitting Nazare due to storms out in the Atlantic Ocean combining with light winds, which resulted in “exceptional” circumstances for the big wave event to take place. It is the first time that the team event has been held and Hawaii’s Kai Lenny clinched the Men’s Wave of the Day for surfing a large righthander towards the dangerous rocks that line Nazare, while Frenchwoman Justine Dupont took the Women’s top prize for a big lefthander.

Lenny was also triumphant in the teams event as he prevailed alongside Lucas Chianca of Brazil.