Not that we ever doubted it, but just days after surviving one of the most horrific wipeouts ever, Garrett McNamara is already planning his return to chasing the biggest waves on the planet. Last week McNamara was hospitalized when a Maverick’s bomb broke his upper left arm, skipping him across the surface of the wave like a tiny pebble before getting swallowed up by an avalanche of whitewash. The wipeout has made national news headlines, with several mainstream outlets dubbing it the worst ever recorded.
But again, as we expected, none of this looks like it will slow the 48-year old down. By the weekend, still recovering in the hospital while surrounded by family, McNamara reached out to his supporters via Facebook:
“A million thank yous for everyone who has been sending positive vibes.”-GMac Photo: Facebook
He then went on to mention “Love you all and will see you in the water soon.” How soon exactly hasn’t been announced, but we can guess he’ll be eager to return to the ocean quicker than the average Joe would attempt.
McNamara is one of a handful of alternates on the Titans of Mavericks roster, which will, of course, take place where his latest wipeout happened. He is also an invitee for this year’s Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau at Waimea Bay as well as headlining the inaugural live webcast event Red Chargers, an ongoing big wave contest taking place at Nazaré this winter. Broken arm or not, McNamara has a busy El Niño schedule set up. “Surfing’s my life. It’s my passion,” he told ABC News, arm tightly packed into a sling. “It’s what I love to do and I’ll never stop surfing.”
