Mark Healey Paddles Into Biggest Swell to Hit Puerto Escondido in “20 Years”

The swell in Puerto Escondido right now is huge–really huge. With buoys reading a swell of eight feet at 17 seconds bringing in waves measuring 9-14 feet on average, the massive South swell that arrived from Antartica over the past few days has dropped the biggest waves the beachfront Mexican enclave has seen in almost 20 years, washing directly into shops facing the beach and bringing the military in to prevent looting and panic during the onslaught from the ocean.

Of course, a few big wave madmen were there to actually paddle out into the deadly surf (including my cousin, Derek Dunfee, go DD!), including Mark Healey, who, after paddling 45 minutes around the surf from the harbor, caught this monster not even 20 minutes into his session. Despite the massive ride, in his interview with Stab, Healey describes how little of a chance he would have had following his bail in the wave, and in the ensuring dozen sets that hammered him on the head before finally dropping him on the beach, had he not been wearing one of the inflatable vests big-wave surfers have been employing in increasing numbers as they chase the world's biggest swells.