Being terrified of the ocean is a common reality for many if not most people. Overcoming it to charge the heaviest waves this side of Saturn is less common — a lot less common. Mark Mathews is part of that latter camp. Not only did he overcome a childhood fear, but he also overcame a gnarly surf-life-threatening fall that had him once again sitting on the far edge of sets, nervously avoiding swells that had put him in physical rehab. That was until he remembered why he did it: he lived for big waves, and the life he was able to provide his mother came from those swells. And that was more than enough for him to, once again, conquer his fears.
