PUERTO ESCONDIDO BIGGEST SWELL IN 10 YEARS!

Nathan Florence and Ivan chase Puerto Escondido's biggest swell in ten years but mostly watch due to injury and extreme size.

• Initial session — Two surfers spend four and a half hours in a west swell that closes out heavily with rising wind [06:43]

• Major wipeout — Nathan drives deep on a right, gets blasted forward by the spit, then flips and lands on his head and back, feeling a snap near his T12 vertebrae [07:38]

• Injury assessment — Pain fades overnight but one vertebra stays hypersensitive to movement, prompting plans for a CT scan before the next swell [09:22]

• Storm arrival — The third swell hits with 20-foot sets already visible over trees and sandbars carved far offshore [12:20]

• Peak size — Walls reach an estimated 60 feet with explosions launching sand and water 100 feet into the air during slow-motion breaks [18:02]

• No rides taken — Two hours of paddling in strong currents yields zero waves for Nathan or Ivan on the final day [27:55]

• Birthday wrap-up — The group ends the session early for dinner and cards after three hours of lineup talk [28:41]

• Why do 60-foot walls at Puerto Escondido produce such long intervals between explosions?

• How does a compression fracture at Jaws compare in recovery time to this new back tweak?