“Swept Out to Sea”: Night Surfing Waimea Bay River (Video)

First up, here’s Koa Smith, another frequent face at the river when it’s cooking. Here’s what he had to say: “Last night we surfed one the most violent river waves I’ve ever seen! I couldn’t believe how much energy was pushing out of the valley. Some waves were sooooo big they looked like mountains! One mistake and you’re swept out to sea and into the darkness, luckily… I only got sucked half way out to sea.”

It harkens back to perhaps the gnarliest session ever to go down at the Waimea Bay river. That was when, back in December of 2022, the reservoir was filled to the brim due to torrential rains. And after falling on a wave and getting sucked out to sea, JOB claims he “almost died.” He added:

“That wave just tumbles me, and tumbles me, and tumbles me…then, boom. It lets me out where the river meets the ocean. And the waves were 15 feet. Huge Waimea. Probably one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done in my life. I don’t even know where I am. I pop up in the middle of Waimea Bay, 300 yards out in the middle of the ocean and the waves are 15 feet. Not a good idea.”

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/u01a6DOOYqE

Anyway, world champ and Olympic gold medalist, Italo Ferreira, also got in on the action during the recent flash flood nighttime river session. For Italo, he had a little more trouble than the others out there. But then again, surfing a flash flood, a raging river, in the dark? Can ya blame him?