“Absolute annihilation” is how Nathan Florence described this ordeal at Mullaghmore head. The reigning Big Wave Challenge Surfer of the Year flew in the swell in early November 2023, a year after riding one of the biggest backside barrels ever pulled into there. He was welcomed back to the left slab in conditions that were adverse, to say the least. He had three uncharacteristic falls to start a session in 25-foot slabs.
Frame: Zoard
“Mullaghmore was like, you think you’re just going to stroll in and get a good one? Not a chance,” Nathan reflected on his YouTube. On the first, his hood came off when he face-planted at the bottom of a heaving barrel. Then he got gobbled by an ungodly foamball and had his leash pulled over his head, rendering him in the scorpion position underwater. Shoutout to the Irish water rescue team for keeping heads above water.
“So violently impacted. I felt like I was getting ripped apart,” Nathan said. “Hood over my heat, I couldn’t pull my (pull cords). I just had to accept it.”
Related: Watch: Giant Irish Slabs Through The Eyes Of Nate Florence
It was a humbling account from one of the best big wave surfers alive today. If nothing else, it’s a reminder that even the best in the world have off days, when the ocean says no more. Nathan waited another two hours while the tide dropped. At long last he found his way in and out of a proper 20-foot chamber. You can see how much that make meant to him in the release of tension and emotion at the end.
“The one I wanted from the start came at the end,” he said. “And I paid for it, but that’s what makes Mullaghmore and big waves so epic. The wipeouts are so intense, but when you do finally make one it’s just that good.”