Pro Surfer Mark Healey Takes On Massive Puerto Escondido Wave


Pro surfer Mark Healey took on a massive set of waves off Mexico’s Puerto Escondido this weekend, riding a part of the “Mexican Pipeline” in conditions that only a handful of expert surfers would dare attempt.

Healey, 31, of Hawaii, is a professional surfer who competes worldwide, according to the Scottish Daily Record. On Sunday, he was at Puerto Escondido, Mexico, as massive waves assailed the shoreline. Generated by a southern storm, the waves were so large that only the most experienced of surfers could hope to successfully ride them.

Healey had flown to Mexico from Hawaii specifically to greet the results of the storm. As Grind TV notes, the waves were so large and powerful that when they struck land, the beach shook underfoot. While attempting to ride the waves, Healey decided to wear a vest that inflates after wipeouts, assisting surfers in reaching the surface quicker. According to him, it was a crucial decision that likely saved his life.

“I made the drop and it kinda half barreled, which at least let me get in it,” he noted. “Once I pulled in, I saw it run off down the line and jumped off in the barrel. I got obliterated. I was so lucky I had my vest, because there was a three-wave set that came in right after that was bigger. I barely broke the surface with my vest fully inflated. Without vests, there could’ve been three drownings today. There’s not a lot of happy endings out there.”

Speaking with Stab Magazine, Healey related that the wave was the largest he had ever caught at Puerto Escondido, though he was unsure whether it was the biggest he had ever faced.

“Today was honestly twice as big as the biggest I’ve ever seen it here. The energy and the water moving was just… so beyond anything I’ve ever seen here. Everything else pales in comparison,” he said. “It was really scary out there this morning. Glad everyone is OK. Managed to be in the right place for a solid one on my Meeks Boards. We had no idea it would get this big.”

Though surfers face a number of dangers when they enter the ocean, as the Inquisitr has previously reported, the recent conditions of the Mexican Pipeline are a unique case. Noting that the situation in Puerto Escondido, which he described as a “natural disaster,” was frightening, Healey took to Instagram to share his hope that his fellow surfers were safe despite the massive waves.

[Image: Edwin Morales via Grind TV]

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