Pro-surfer Mikey Wright has been caught on camera charging into dangerous surf to save a struggling swimmer in Oahu.
Wright posted footage to his Instagram account showing what is thought to be Oahu’s north shore when he spotted a woman struggling in the waves.
Beachgoers can be seen trying to reach the swimmer but the current was too strong.
The beach was dotted with sharp volcanic rocks and 15-foot waves that were breaking closely together, doubling their strength, according to The Guardian.
Wright can be heard saying the woman was “going to need to get saved” before asking someone to hold his phone while he jumped a fence and charged into the surf.
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A woman can be heard shouting, “You can’t save him!”
The second video in the post shows Wright struggling among the waves to reach the woman. The two repeatedly get barrelled over by waves but he emerges onto the sand holding her.
“I didn’t question if I was in danger,” the 24-year-old said, according to The Guardian.
“I just knew that she needed help. This lady was in a very tricky situation. Even for a confident person in the water, that’s not somewhere you want to be.”
Wright’s post, which is captioned “Hold my beer”, has received almost 300,000 likes on Instagram and praise from the pro surfing community around the world.
“Who needs a cape then you have a mullet?” commented former championship tour surfer Jessi Miley-Dyer.
“I knew that mullet had some magic powers” said Indigenous artist and surfer Otis Hope Carey.
Wright was in Hawaii attending the Pipeline Masters event with his siblings Taylor and Owen, who are also pro surfers.
Featured image source: Instagram/mikeywright69
