Brazilian surfer Carlos Burle, 58 years old, went through a moment of great risk last Wednesday during a giant wave session in Nazaré. The attempt to record the moment with a camera ended up compromising his safety, leading to a violent fall and subsequent rescue by the specialized team working at the scene.
Burle was dragged by several waves and was submerged for too long before he was able to activate his safety vest. He was taken to the hospital, but assured the next day that he was fine and explained what led to the accident.
The surfer acknowledged that the fall was a direct consequence of the decision to film the session. He said that, because he felt physically and emotionally prepared, he decided to take a camera with him to capture images of the experience. In the first waves he recorded everything without any problems, but in the third he tried to change the angle, starting to film from the front, with his face and the wave in the frame. This choice took away the necessary concentration in such an extreme situation.
According to what he reported, when he was hit by the wave, he had to hold the camera with both hands, which delayed the activation of the safety vest. He remained underwater for too long, waiting for the right moment to react, almost reaching his physical limit.
The surfer publicly thanked the rescue team, saying they saved his life. He also said that he takes away an important lesson from this experience: in maximum risk scenarios, there can be no distractions and safety must always be above all. He admitted that he should never have taken the camera into the water in that circumstance.
