I’ve seen this sort of thing before surfer get towed into big waves by buddy on a jet ski, but this particular photo set looks wicked deadly. The snaps, from Reuters, are up on the UK’s Daily Mail site. They didn’t catch the guy’s wipe-out, which apparently nearly killed him, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know what’s coming next.

‘It felt like I ripped my arm out of its socket, my leggie snapped and then I felt like I was the deepest I’d ever been.’

The unbelievable pictures have been entered into the prestigious Oakley Surfing Life Big Wave Awards, which rewards the riders of the biggest waves in Australasian waters.

Click the image to the right for brief story and full sized pics.