Respected big wave surfer Carlos Burle suffered an accident yesterday in Nazaré after being swallowed by a wave that closed in on his back and taking several waves to his head, his Instagram account reported.

She is now stable and returning to Brazil, but described what happened: "It was a scare, a real scare, I had never reached that limit in my life, of wanting to breathe so much."

In a statement released by his team, they said: “Burle faced the big waves of Nazaré again today. He was catching a huge wave and was hit by the water with all its speed and force.”

“Thank God, Lucas Chumbo was there and Burle was rescued immediately. He received care from the team on site and is now doing well, under observation and recovering. Team Burle thanks everyone for their positive energy, affection, and constant support!” they wrote.

As can be seen in the video, the rescue had its share of drama because Chianca had to abandon the ski in order to rescue Burle and help him.

They were both then assisted and taken to the beach.

Burle dedicated kind words to his friend.