Andrew Cotton On The Nazaré Wave That Changed His Life | Behind the Lines, Ep. 6

www.epictv.com
BUY EPIC GEAR, TESTED BY THE BEST: GoPro, Sony, DJI, ION, Magicam, Optrix, Hitcase and more
shop.epictv.com
In this final episode of Behind the Lines, Andrew Cotton's big wave season comes to a climax back where it all began in Nazaré, Portugal. One a wild, windy day at North Canyon he is whipped into a beast by Garrett McNamara that goes on to be touted by some of the world's media as the biggest wave ever surfed.
In the end, he doesn't scoop the prestigious Billabong XXL Award - there were bigger waves surfed last winter. But more important is Andrew's own take on events that day: with a brutally honest post-surf interview he demonstrates a hunger and humility that should leave no one in doubt as to why he is one of the most respected big wave surfers on the planet today.
Director: Mikey Corker
Video Producer: Show 'n Tell Media
Athletes: Andrew Cotton, Garrett McNamara
Sports: surfing
Andrew Cotton On The Nazaré Wave That Changed His Life | Behind the Lines, Ep. 6
-------------------------
EpicTV produces hundreds of EpicTV original action sports series, with new releases every day. Visit www.epictv.com now to be the first to see the latest episodes.
Get the latest extreme sports news on the EpicTV Facebook page
/ watchepictv
Follow us on Twitter
/ watchepictv
See what we're up to on Instagram
@epictvadventure
And best of all - check out our website!
www.epictv.com/

[@jamesleia8669]

it doesn't matter if you surf big waves or small waves, surfing makes you appreciate the little things in life, the things a lot of people take for granted.

[@der2397]

Give your life to Jesus and work for Him. That will put things into perspective for you.

[@TheGreatMaChao]

can you introduce me to your imaginary friend

[@parabola8933]

I got caught inside on a 20 - 25 foot set (faces) when I was 14. I barely scratched over two of the monsters and the third one got me. It drove me way down deep and my board was down there with me. I felt it hit my head a couple times. The freaky thing is when I came up, my legs where getting twisted back and forth like prezels and the foam was so thick I couldn't find my board and it would let me up and suck me down again. I took another two on the head and by that time I got washed toward the shore and out of the intense impact zone. I finally got washed in like a ship wreck survivor and that changed my life forever. It's crazy the human body can take these kinds of wipe outs and survive in those conditions. It's all about the mind set and being calm in the chaos.

[@vickiepate6597]

parabola for sure! much respect for u guys that ride these monsters!!!

[@anthonybarrow1142]

I started surfing back in 1963 @ 16 I surfed Redondo breakwall in 1969 it was about 20 to 30 foot waves now too see 100 door waves just blower me away.

[@3434rocky]

parabola glad you survived! You were a strong kid

[@daytonasayswhat9333]

So what?

[@KateDenthimamai]

parabola 20-25 foot? I took a beating from a series of five 6 feet waves and i got twisted like prezel and I low key thought I was going to die and these guys ride 100 foot waves, it is unimaginable. I would die of a heart attack long before these monsters hit me.

[@therealborischang]

I've taken a severe beating in 8-10' waves. I simply cannot imagine the experience of taking off on a hundred foot wave. Simply unimaginable.

[@jamesmcclain9865]

Boris, I too have had that experience you speak of------long, long time ago at Dana Point before they screwed it all up with that Break Water for all the boaters. This is total insanity performed by a guy with adrenaline for blood and balls of steel! Damn! Now, I spend my retirement up in the Mountains of AZ with my 2 Dogs. The small town's name is Show Low @ 7,000' or so----Lots of lakes in the surrounding area all the way up to 10,000' and I fish from shore so Wally & Sadie can come along and chase the little critters around the Lake Shore. They never give up even though they've never caught anything---And that's the way I like it...them not killing any animals! ,

[@patrickjaroch5084]

im with you james, growing up in so cal as a teenager i surfed goldenwest street in a 15-18 ft swell, on multiple occasions until i went over the handlebars on a squirlley drop. my leash broke and i was held down for what seemed an eternity. when i surface i was caught in no mans land and took another 5 or 6 waves on the head. Half mile off shore with the storm swell there was no where to get out of the water against the cliffs. i managed to swim parallel in no mans land and with a helping current got to the beach at bolsa chica where there was room to avoid being pummeled on rocks. i was a very fit strong swimmer and honestly thought i was going to drown that day. man i was 16 so that had to be 85' wouldnt trade those yrs for anything

[@reeceryan1600]

What a picture, that sounds like the life!

[@reeceryan1600]

you confuse me. Why do you care three weeks later? what makes you think anything about this would "turn" someone gay? do you think people just turn gay after like heavy experiences? or do you think you're making like a funny joke? cause i'm not offended or anything it just... isn't... I'm just kinda curious, like what's your life like? who goes back to a comment after three weeks to ask someone AGAIN if they turned gay for no reason? it was just a good story of a guy in a heavy situation, why you bein so weird? whats with the fixation on being gay, HMM? so what if he is?!

[@robertdanenhower4284]

Boris Chang unless someone's caught a big wave they have no idea. 8 footer can be scary and most people have no clue.

[@princewilliamthefox3825]

Unreal!!!,....Way to go.Impossible turns to reality.,......I can't imagine it.,....Bless ALL you big wave surfers.Grabbing a wave ANYWHERE near or at the power of that wave means you ARE a HERO!!

[@AmericanTestConstitution]

He did not win the XXL but looks like biggest wave I have ever seen on all of KZbin. I wish the XXL would have shown them measure the competing waves. No matter what the case, 1st or 2nd place, it is still an amazing life accomplishment to ride a wave that big.

[@IKillGoliath]

I agree 100% bro :D

[@rockylosco5596]

nah record is 111 to 114.5 feet roughly,yea man Garrett McNamara yea that's it!:-).

[@JoolsTurrall]

I could watch 95.80 of this, great piece Epic. Well done Cotty, Mr M, and amazing support from Katie.

[@TheDamageinc81]

Cotty ... you're a legend bruh.

[@earlhaupenthal1305]

Holy shit! Well worth the wait. You guys make it look easy

[@diogopinto4128]

Wow!! Unbelievable courage. Amazing VDO! Nazaré👌🏻.

[@Master-di4di]

Awesome.Dedication,skill & the will to survive.

[@mariosilva6791]

great video, great audio sound.....incredible waves......beautiful place.....NAZARE...PORTUGAL.

[@faethoni]

BIG RESPECT!!!!!!! Wish him be back soon and healthy

[@Ride351]

Another great video from a great surfer!

[@danilocachola786]

"I was at Nazare' and I rode a 120 foot wave. Yeah, that's the ticket. And 10 minutes later I rode a 150 foot wave just for the hell of it." lol

[@TheSantiago0076]

Incredible!!!

[@rideforever]

He got knocked off his board after 5 seconds !!! Yeah great dragging it out really a lot story line for a man who catches a wave for 5 seconds and then falls off. Really amazing.

[@duncanwallace7760]

Nice docco, well filmed!

[@rennannunes9633]

Surf is life ❤

[@izzojoseph2]

I thought this was the wave that broke his back. I wasn't aware he rode one successfully. Garrett's ride hid this one from me. Awesome he made one.

[@carloslebron2226]

True definition of a Mountain Men..

[@IKillGoliath]

Big wave riders of his Calibre have a look in there eyes deep and dark,not in an evil way,just they have been to deaths door stared death in the face! laughed at him :D and survived his icy grip with there fathomless courage and fearless grip on lifes majesty :D Peace ! I fear drowning in a rip but i swim ever day near them! He's probably one of the bravest men to ever live on this planet to do what he did that day "Respect"!

[@rockylosco5596]

one day a surfer is gonna charge into a wave that's massively larger than anything ever seen!:-)

[@PaulOReilly712]

Where do you reckon it will be? i'm thinking Cortez bank and Maybe Greg Long will ride it. I definitely agree these guys are Just all training for something way bigger" as you say" than anything we imagined possible to ride. But these guys believe they can ride anything! and someone said about Andrew Cotton "He has no fear at all !" Can't wait to see what they do in the future ! God keep them safe though. Amen

[@NeoZeta]

He said _"massively larger than anything ever seen"_ and you mention Cortez Bank ? lol you think Cortez can even reach half the height/power of Naza ? If there is anywhere to break records it's in Nazaré.

[@SpaghettiToaster]

Daniel Bolonha Pretty sure Cortes bank is easily the second largest spot in the world that we know about, and I'd say it's not too far behind. It was long known as the biggest spot by far before nazaré was popularized, and there have been reports of 80f waves being ridden there long ago, even though footage is rare. I think it's not a very consistent spot and he diffiulies of getting there means there's almost no footage from there nowadays (that I know of). But there are certainly huge waves there. And we don't know much about it so who knows, maybe there could be waves much bigger than seen before there occasionally. I do think that Nazaré is a better candidate for even more huge waves in the future though. The undersea canyon creates a very stable effect. The water can only come from one direction, so it always has to pass through t's canyon. Not like the absolute mess of currents that is Cortes bank. So any huge swell from a storm or whatever that hits Europe is basically guaranteed to produce giant waves at Nazaré. But I do think under very specific conditions there could be huge waves at Cortes as well.

[@korpakukac]

*their

[@monikavasik436]

Brave, brave men!

[@lajack5273]

What about Bell's Beach Australia

[@subjectiveperspective1730]

Riding this wave is like playing Russian roulette and calling it a sport lol.

[@antonsbukser3113]

6:20 is what youre looking for, 30 sec of surfing.

[@Anonymous-or4ru]

Typical load of bull shite

[@Anonymous-or4ru]

Rides a few metres down a face ahead of mush and falls off.

[@jennifercampbell8939]

Thanks mate. Saves us from watching the remainder of the footage, which seems to be all blah blah blah and dramatic music.

[@SpaghettiToaster]

NudaRider A few meters as in 10 to 15, possibly about the height of the house you live in, if it's not a high rise. Mush as in white water concealing a face thicker than any aussie slab dropping the height of the aforementioned house plus some. Would like to see you repeat the feat.

[@FrostedSeagull]

First up, get well soon Andrew. Ironically, you have the "right" surname in Cotton. I hear with broken vertebrae you will be "wrapped in Cotton" for most of 2018. Like most people I have been smashed by an 8 foot wave. I cannot even believe to comprehend the power of a monster with a 90 foot wave face and billions of tonnes of water behind it. Get well soon Andrew and I hope you surf again.

[@albertogutierrez341]

All I can say is the following: I am fifty years old. I am working 50 plus hours a week. I have surfed a big chunk of my life. I am proud that I have done it. I am a surfer. The ocean will always be my home. I am a surfer, and I am still stoked, brah'!

[@tommyshelter3308]

kook

[@docwill184]

tommy shelter330 Idiot

[@NBT2469]

Right on, right on. As someone who has never surfed, but loves the ocean, I salute you!

[@sinner689]

I've been watching these waves since i was a kid since Nazaré is hometown... and they scare till this day ahah

[@anamaria-zo5ym]

Holy grail of the Waves witch have a true life if it's own...strong..huge...massive , electrified,no respect ..but we must respect it .We must be careful..almost living towards such beauty of nature.Must be an inceditable feeling.I. only swim..thats all we did in Portugal. With so. Many beaches around and growing up in Sao Miguel Azores it was all we did.Lost lots of tops and bottoms to the waves.ahhhh memories...lol

[@MistressGlowWorm]

How did he stay on top of the surfboard with balls that big?

[@joshharry7881]

Elizabeth Hillman good call

[@conceicaoguedes7429]

He schrinks them momentaly.

[@dynamicsolution8166]

Surviving the initial wave is 1 in a wipe out is a miracle but surviving the 2 monsters behind it that's where things get dicey

[@macss6615]

wow,wow,wow,wow,wow,wow

[@lau_dhondt]

Is there a longerlasting/contextual shot of the excerpt at 0:10 ? I'd like to know how he got up there? :)

[@cringecat3614]

Probably kite-surfing, I don't know.

[@muse550]

What's that tune playing in the background from 4:03 onwards, does anybody know?Thanks.

[@maxcountryman5824]

+muse550 shazam couldnt find it

[@alexandraortez1141]

Yep, can't find it, either. So distressing.

[@trevdood]

did anyone manage to find what tune this is ?

[@maxcountryman5824]

yeah i really like it

[@alexandraortez1141]

trevdood I wish.

[@paramotorzakynthos]

great person...

[@joezaleski6590]

I am 63 years old I have surf 15 ft but man I wouldn't surf higher than that. This is incredible guys that surf 100 ft. I am scared shit of that high waves. And I ain't stupid. I praise these guys for thier bravely to conquer a big waves. I salutes these guys.

[@nashitsiddiqui9626]

Plz share the name of music that starts from 4:30....

[@101binary101]

Where can I see the full footage of the guy flying above the wave at 0:10??

[@nunoamaroandrade6234]

KZbin this: NAZARE Calling, min 32:10

[@gideonram4607]

This video was supposed to be about Cotton’s wipe out and back breaking ride.

[@allensaunders449]

These waves are an avalanche of water you try to stay in front of no fancy moves

[@DavideMilani]

Da paura!!!

[@tomadams5582]

Screw this shit !!!!! I want to enjoy surfing , not barely surviving it .

[@rotospace]

+Tom Adams Amen, man...gimme a nice never-ending 4 ft glassy left for the rest of my life...

[@tomadams5582]

i'm with ya on that !!!!

[@DataNull]

+Tom Adams sorry mate, but that is Nazaré!

[@ehrehehreh]

At 6:49 it almost looks fake. if you look at the tallest phone pole you can see him fall then get sucked in but at like 4 times faster than the water is moving, wonder why it looks like that even slowed down it still looks odd. Still incredible feat it's mind boggling.

[@hoplite46]

insane

[@adamwalsh8808]

I thought a 10 foot face was gnarly. Fuck that. That's wicked nuts. These guy are true athletes

[@TomUK7]

"And your balls man they're like this big!"

[@josephroo7060]

Yes Yardies Yes YES YES YES """"""EYE""""""

[@giapacella6771]

❤

[@thedudeabides3930]

What a man has to go through to feed his family these days.

[@elmoblatch9787]

People don't understand that a HEAVY 20-ft wave that is paddled into is actually more impressive than this.

[@chupameusculh0es493]

They want big waves, not heavy lmao

[@deborahwood9304]

Kinda like jumping out of a plane with no parachute and hoping for a soft spot to land.

[@tomasazevedo1979]

dixie dragon there's a guy who jumped from space without a parachute and survived eheh

[@chrisblake5995]

brave , and then some ,

[@abeirabaixa]

If you want monster and caothic waves that's the place to be!... You'll never know what you'll get.

[@SpaghettiToaster]

abeirabaixa except a good ass beating

[@Bangandthedirtisgone]

Beautiful but kinda hard to hear what they're saying a lot of the time?

[@ifonlyicouldstop]

his daughters are cute, they have one of each. One Katie and one And(ria).

[@daytonasayswhat9333]

He obviously wiped out on that way. It counts as ridden even if it wipes you out?

[@rockylosco5596]

I never knew Hell was made of water?

[@jaketaylor5754]

We need drone pilots filming this shit. Imagine seing the wave for the actual mountain it is rather than a wall.

[@RobGenest]

turn down or turn off that music. I hated the sound so much I had to press mute.

[@TheNotoriousKRP]

The wave 6:19

[@mrnatascorpus]

cow bombie

[@ivanriverooo]

Guys... seriously. Is this a wave or can it already be called tsunami?

[@azerko]

Algum brasileiro que também ache difícil entender este sotaque inglês britânico?

[@bellycurious]

Já ouvi pior. Mas, sim, às vezes é difícil entender.

[@Mesrine68]

Amazing to see how they ride the waves, but every time he got out he gambles with his live, i hope he hve a good insurance

[@zunezvenzon1748]

Are we supposed to listen to the Music or people talking ???

[@vhsdxzl]

2 metres in water you already have water by your neck

[@jediRAVE]

Wait I thought they did it cause they loved it. Ehh

[@daltonv5206]

I wanna ride the barrel

[@damnskippyify]

I must be old school but back in my dat the big wave surfers were in waimea bay . 40 -60 footers . No big deal you would say . But I assure you that back in the late 60's and early 70's there were no PWC to tow you or save you . Straps on the board would have been laughed at . So when did all the rules change and what we see on this video i'm sorry is not big wave surfing . Its big wave adrenaline hunting and the term surfing should be removed . That's my opinion but it seems to disrespect the class of REAL big wave SURFERS .

[@MateoAgulla7]

It's the same just with less deads

[@ymatT601]

Have you even surfed? This is extreme big wave surfing at the highest level dude regardless of them taking safety precautions. They are pushing the sport to such a limit nowadays why not be prepared? It doesn’t guarantee their safety & it’s still takes them a life time of training to solely ride the wave once they let go of the rope. It’s also a career to these guys who still have to provide for their families & themselves so ensuring they live to surf another day is crucial as they’re risking everything. Can’t believe how naive you are, you kook.

[@airindiana]

Citing old technology and its limits applies to a lot of things. The risk doesn’t necessarily diminish, just the technology allows folk to go further. Bit like wright flyer to the space shuttle. Still mega risk.

[@bigrich1381]

You know the waves are big when you have to wear a helmet & padded body armor!

[@scruffy1018]

Interstellar

[@toemanification]

Never saw him come out at the end of the ride, to me this is not a ridden wave, you have to be upright and on your board to say you completed the ride....too much hype about "almost" riding the big wave, and by no means was it the biggest ever ridden, there are guys whos COMPLETED rides of 80 to 100 foot waves, so this is just fluff if you ask me !

[@beezer2058]

Once again......the music drowns out the narrative.

[@afzpuppet]

Looked like this guy barely rode this liquid giant... and WIPED OUT EARLY.... WTF is that!! And on top of that a jet ski towed him in on the wave and he used foot straps.. He might as well have used wind surfer gear or a Kayak to ride the wave....

[@altlo_3209]

How about next time you try and catch that without foot straps and being towed out, and stay on.

[@afzpuppet]

Altlo _ Yeh Yeh Yeh.... Yahdy Yahdy Yahdy .. don't make excuses.. Any decent surfer with a bit of practice using foot straps could have made it farther.. Its obvious that the Andrew didn't bend his knees or crouch enough to absorb the bumpy ride.. On top of that he was Towed in.. which almost takes ZERO SKILLS... It comes down to how well you absorb the bumps without falling off... At any rate.. this wave doesn't have a big barrel.... It breaks at the top which is typical of outer reef waves.. My longest ride was from one of these type of waves... As such... its much easier wave to ride compared to Mavericks or Shipsterns or Jaws....

[@altlo_3209]

I dont think that you can slate him off, this takes years of training for and he's actually done it, there are always negative people in this world like you.

[@johndtuttle]

+afzpuppet kook.

[@SpaghettiToaster]

afzpuppet Are you aware that the "bumps" you're talking about are literally the size of a small shipsterns? The barrel of this wave is most certainly still larger than anything ever surfed at either of the spots you mentioned. You're absolutely out of touch with what's actually going on in this video. Here's what would happen if you went up on this wave, full gear: -You pick up more speed than you have on any drop in your life -Thinking it's just a bump, you bend your knees and don't try to evade the inner wave below you -You drop down an equivalent height to jumping out of a second-story window -You break your ankle as you fail to absorb the impact on just one foot -You tip over as you clumsily straighten out while trying to stabilize yourself -You get hit by a lip thicker than your board is long and a house-sized wall of white water -You're held under for a minute before the next wave hits -You're carried against the cliff by underwater currents, where you get stuck between two rocks and repeatedly smashed by large waves. Thankfully you've been dead for 5 minutes already. Go ahead and prove me wrong though.

[@michaelcraig9449]

Get rid of the idiot music. We want to just hear the roar of the waves. This music sucks.

[@realbudgiesmugglable]

just Nimble it and move on..

[@antonioviegas6548]

FOR PEOPLE DONT BELIEVE ; AND HAVE TO BE THERE ??????? AFTER ALL YOU FEEL THE POWER OF THE SEA??// BY THE HISTORY A LOT MAN AND WOMAN LOSE THEM LIFE THERE; PLUS SOME ANIMALS LIKE BULLS AND DUNKS TO DRAG THE BOATS OUT OF WATER???????????

[@christianeidsmoe4772]

that wasn't even the wave where he got hurt, what a POS "film".

[@topdeckdog]

Brits got no business surfing. Stick to lawn bowls kids.

[@janheard3826]

Avon G lawn bowls is for the oldsters - people like you

[@boojay111]

now now children, grow up and be good little boys

[@TinShackVideos]

Rubbish!

[@Urov.]

the british have no business surfing, this just proves it

[@richardkristensen9528]

Who cares. Big waves, so what??

[@hitchensthinksnot4778]

Richard Kristensen ,are my fries ready yet?

[@bellycurious]

You cared enough to write a comment.