This is how Albee Layer described the blow he suffered while surfing in Maui that nearly took his life in a recent post on Instagram:

“The first wave was a decent beating, but the second one came over my head after I had swallowed some water. I was under that one for a while. It was really violent and I was coughing underwater to the point where I felt like passing out was a not-too-distant possibility.

When I came up and exchanged glances with (Kai) Barger and said, 'I'm fine.' Then I turned around to see that I was in the worst possible spot and the thought of 'to die here is exactly what you have to do' came to mind. Standing in front of six-foot-high rocks out of the water not knowing what the wave behind me was going to be like. I dove under another one trying to stay away from the big rock. Then, somehow, I ended up perfectly dry after the fourth wave, which was a total blessing.

I knew I was out of a life-threatening situation, but I figured that breaking a foot or wrist while on the rocks was definitely still a possibility—my arms were going to block my head—and having to get stitches seemed inevitable.

I jumped perfectly into the next wave, I hit some rocks, but nothing too hard. Then they cleaned me up and I ended up sitting in the pools that are generated with the change of tide while I was shaking like a strange panic of calm.

I saw a petrified looking Barger paddling frantically towards me, I saw Jon Spencer pulling off his shirt as he ran from his chamber to help and I could hear Matt Meola, @robersonbrothers Elliot Leboe - the drone videographer - already told them that they didn't care and I gave them the OK pat on the head.

I didn't want to check my body for injuries, but when I did, I literally hadn't even had a scratch on me. It still amazes me every time I think about it. If you did what I did 100 times, I think you'd be 10% okay and 80% in the hospital for anything from a couple of stitches to something like brain surgery and 10% worse.

“I wasted a lifetime on dumb luck in just two minutes.”