Within 12 hours of arriving in Nazare for the first time, Ollie Dousset was speed hopping down the face of a solid 40-foot wave. The lack of experience and the huge chunks in the face made the task difficult. The fact that Ollie only has one leg should have made it impossible.
It is remarkable to think that it was less than 18 months ago that Dousset was told by a doctor in Perth that he could either lose his leg or lose his life. The 26-year-old from Sydney’s northern beaches had been travelling on the back of a scooter as he headed back to his accommodation in Uluwatu on August 11, 2018, when he was tragically run over by a cement truck as it attempted to overtake them.
He scooped up a lot of his leg and his calf muscle that was lying on the ground next to him and caught a taxi to a local hospital. Ollie received surgery the next day to pin his leg back together but developed an infection 10 days later. His parents had to pay for an emergency flight to the Royal Perth Hospital where he received the devastating news.
However, Dousset immediately set up throwing himself into a new life. Since the operation, he has learned to snowboard and parachute and has committed himself to the big wave realm. “I saw Ollie surf the big left at Durras last year and I was blown away,” said big wave filmer Tim Bonython, the man behind the reality documentary series Swell Chasers. “Since then he has surfed Waimea and Pipeline. I told him he had to come to Nazare and within 15 hours of stepping off the plane he was towed into that bomb.”
The Nazare big-wave fraternity is one of the most inclusive and supportive in the world and Dousset borrowed boards from the two-time SUP World Champion Caio Vaz, who also towed him into the wave. “It was really emotional,” said Bonython. “Everyone on the hill was cheering and clapping and everyone in the water was looking out for Ollie. It was a special moment. The kid is unstoppable!”
Dousset wasn’t done there though. After a few tow sessions, he was invited into a paddle expression session as part of the build-up for the Gigantes de Nazare competition that should run this week. Borrowing a ten-foot gun from underground charger Chris Cook he described the eight waves he caught in the 15-25ft range as the best big wave session of his life, even if he wore a few on the head. “I have never felt such a welcoming and friendly community of incredible humans in my life,” he posted afterward.
It is just the latest feat in an incredible journey as he transforms a traumatic event into a catalyst for adventure and inspiration. “I set big intentions for 2020 and I was determined to let nothing hold me back,” said Dousset. By the looks of things, he’s been true to his word.
