As a surfer, this could be the scariest way to go. Sharks, heavy wipeouts, multiple wave takedowns in heavy waves. Those are some of the first things that come to mind when we think of the unthinkable.
Ahmed Erraji may have those topped, all with the caveat that he survived a nightmarish scenario of being sucked into a cave and pinned there for at least an hour. Ahmed’s nickname is ‘Hijo del Mar,’ and his claim to fame is bodysurfing ridiculous waves that most humans will only look at from the safety of shore, let alone try to ride without any flotation. This particular video is probably more mind blowing than swimming in XL surf with nothing but fins.
It begins with Ahmed out for a surf and a friend filming from land. He wipes out on one wave and is washed in toward the cliffs. What we don’t see is Ahmed being swept straight into an opening of a nearby cave, where he’s soon pinned inside. And this is where it gets even more crazy because the rest of the footage is basically Ahmed filming his own fight for his life. The current seems to be washing in pretty strong (you’d have to imagine) with each wave, and while the GoPro video clearly shows pockets of light, there’s no telling how large the exits may or may not be, nor can we tell if Ahmed can clearly see an escape route. He waits for the tide to drop for a full hour before making his exit, where he’s then greeted by crashing waves and has a helluva time climbing rocks and dodging waves, just hoping not to be swept back out again.
From there it’s just a simple two-kilometer swim out the back and toward land. Easy.
