A countdown timer in a surf video usually means one of two things. Either a barrel timer, or an indication of a lengthy hold down. Unfortunately, for Ben Gravy it was the latter.
In the YouTube surf star’s latest vlog he takes on Waimea in the lead up to the infamous Eddie swell which set the bay alight a few days later. After going over the falls on the take off of a solid one, and without a proper floatation vest, Ben is held down for a number of seconds and only resurfaces just as the next wave lands on him. Luckily, he came away unscathed. However, back on land he explains to his filmer that ‘everything went black, just like you see in the movies’.
In the caption of his latest vlog, he wrote: “I broke my rule in Hawaii and I went surfing on the last day of the trip,” explained Gravy in the caption. “It was especially gnarly, because it was the first day of the Eddie swell and the surf was rising fast. Waimea Bay was definitely the biggest I’ve ever surfed it and I experienced what is by far the scariest wipeout of my life, accompanied by a 20-second hold down. I’m very happy to be here still living on earth and very happy to see Dennis and Jordan after this trip.”
Click the link above to watch.