Australian big-wave surfer and extreme adventure junkie Mark Visser made history early Thursday by surfing Jaws off Maui in the dark.
It sounds like a suicide mission but Visser, 28, used specially engineered LED lighting built into his buoyancy vest and board for a surreal session in that began at about 2 a.m. Wave face heights were about 30 feet.
Visser also had a jetski crew -- he was towed onto the waves he rode -- and helicopter crew watching over him. But as you can see in the video, he was surfing in almost total darkness.
"It wasn't until I saw the pictures [that] I realized how big it was," Visser said. "This was the scariest, but most exciting thing I have ever done. Riding in complete darkness meant I had to go off feeling. I had to zone out from how you normally ride and be part of the wave."
The "Night Rider" feat is the first of a series of extreme, first-time adventures that will be made into a documentary called "9 Lives," to be distributed at the end of the year -- that is, if he completes them all safely.
-- Pete Thomas
Video courtesy of GrindTv.com
Twitter: @Pete_Thomas
This is totally exciting but scared for all the possibilities that might happen. Congrats to Visser he's a totally brave person. :D
Posted by: Adventure Racing | Aug 21, 2011 at 06:04 PM
Wow that is cool adventure going under 30 feet. I'm afraid to try to go on the sea at that early, even to try to drink and sleep there nuh!! I have a hydrophobia. By the way its good idea to put an LED light on the vest its safe and lights is very durable. tanks for sharing your adventure !!
led par lights
Posted by: Rynth Ley | Aug 06, 2011 at 12:41 AM
Wow this is so cool. I was so amazed :D
Posted by: Marathon | Jul 06, 2011 at 07:44 PM
Great and amazing. Thanks for sharing the video.
Posted by: extreme sports | Feb 25, 2011 at 01:19 AM
big deal IM going to paddle surf the niagra river and base jump over the falls and do it at night without a light and WITHOUT WATER WINGS
Posted by: TOBY | Jan 25, 2011 at 09:31 AM
We created a LED suit for a performance artists called THE LED Alien. same principle with LED Lighting though.
Watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYIMessoszg
Posted by: SolidApollo.com | Jan 23, 2011 at 11:51 AM
I just can't see the pleasure in it though.
Posted by: jameshigham | Jan 23, 2011 at 02:49 AM