A near-death experience can change everything, and actor Jason Momoa knows that firsthand. Standing at 6’4” and weighing in at 230 pounds, Momoa might look every bit the real-life “Aquaman,” but even he’s no match for the ocean’s power.
Chatting on the Smartless podcast with Will Arnett, Jason Bateman & Sean Hayes, Momoa opened up about a terrifying day in Maui when a surf session nearly turned deadly.
Momoa’s Surfboard Leash Snaps During 13-Mile Paddle Near Jaws
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)The half Native Hawaiian actor was doing an open-ocean paddle with big wave legends Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama near Jaws when things took a dangerous turn. “We paddled 13 miles down the coast, and you’re kind of almost a mile offshore, and then my leash snapped,” Momoa recalled. “It’s so windy on Maui, and so the board just went. I couldn’t even see it anymore.”
How Momoa Was Stuck in a Dangerous Spot
Hayes asked if Momoa was prepared for such a scenario. The actor explained that while he had solid training, the conditions were brutal. “I took quite a few on the head. They were pretty big, like 10-foot Hawaiian waves, but I’m literally probably a mile offshore,” he said.
Momoa found himself in a notorious spot known as “Shtfks,” named for the powerful water that pulls surfers out while massive waves pound them.
“I was stuck in this crazy spot… they couldn’t see me, and I had my paddle and I was waving it, and they couldn’t see me,” he said, adding with a laugh, “The waves were so big, it took my shorts off they were so f*king big.”
“I Had Already Given Up”
(Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)At one point, Momoa admitted he had lost hope. “I literally gave up and I’m screaming inside, and my foot just hits the outer reef,” he said. Unsure if it was a rock or something else, he grabbed it to push himself up.
“I get hit by another wave… I dig my feet into the coral and I’m literally in the middle of the ocean, and I could barely put my lips above it just to breathe… but I had already given up, so it’s like, you’ve already given up and died and have a second chance at it.”
A Timely Rescue by a Surfing Legend
Momoa’s ordeal ended when Hamilton arrived with his board. The two paddled back to safety, but not before the actor sustained multiple injuries. “It was brutal,” he said. “I was covered in blood.”
Fans can catch Momoa in a safer setting in his Apple TV+ series “Chief of War,” which chronicles pre-contact Hawaii and is now streaming.
