Mike Parsons cracks vertebrae, nearly drowns

Big Wave Updates

'I thought I was into it, then suddenly realized I wasn't'

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 23 January, 2013 : - - Mike Parsons, who grew up in Laguna Beach and lives in San Clemente, is the latest to have a brush with death after he wiped out on a triple overhead wave in San Francisco. Parsons told Surfline it was an amazing morning, with everyone getting waves. After about four hours, a nice set came in, and he paddled for the third wave.

"I thought I was into it, then suddenly realized I wasn't. I took two more strokes and tried to stand up in what turned out to be the lip. I free fell, and remember my feet hitting my board for a second, then my head hit the water really hard," he said in the interview.

According to the Surfline report, Parsons suffered severe whiplash and a cracked vertebrae in his neck. He thought he was paralyzed under water. But like San Clemente's Greg Long in December, Parsons was able to live to surf another day. Long was held down by three close waves at Cortes Bank, off San Diego, and needed to be airlifted to a hospital.

Parsons is no stranger to big waves, once holding a mark recognized by Guinness World Records for a wave he caught in 2008 at Cortes Bank. That record was broken by Garrett McNamera's 78-foot wave in Portugal in 2011. These days, Parsons focuses mostly on coaching World Tour surfer Kolohe Andino.

Read the full article at the OC Register

Source: OC Register

Author: Laylan Connelly

Tags: Mike Parsons, Big Wave, Wipeouts, Injury

Water Safety: Surfersvillage