Actor Gerard Butler Pulled Up From California Mavericks Dangerous Waves While Filming for Movie
- Posted on December 20, 2011 at 5:28pm by
Liz Klimas
- Print »
- Email »
(Photo: Fredric Larson via San Francisco Gate)
Gerard Butler had to be rescued from large waves holding him under while filming for a movie about a surfer at Mavericks, a famed Northern California surf break known for treacherous, stories-high waves. Butler is reported as OK.
Filmmakers were shooting the 42-year-old “Of Men and Mavericks” star paddling out with competitive surfers Greg Long, Zach Wormhoudt and Peter Mel on Sunday afternoon, the San Mateo County Times reported.
The four were steering clear of a set of waves in the 15-foot range when a much larger set broke in front of them, said Wormhoudt, of Santa Cruz.
Butler was held underwater for two waves and washed through some rocks while tethered to his surfboard, Wormhoudt said. A safety patrolman on a Jet Ski swooped in and picked up the actor. Butler was shaken up but not seriously injured, Wormhoudt said.
“Of Men and Mavericks” is about Santa Cruz surfer Jay Moriarty, who conquered Mavericks as a teen but died in a free-diving accident in 2001 when he was 23.
Here’s a clip of Moriarty wiping out on the Mavericks in 1994:
The Maverick’s notorious, cold water and giant waves have made it a Mt. Everest-like conquest for some surfers. And it has impacted many lives, whether it be the death of legendary big wave waterman or serious injury to less experienced surfers seeking to make a name for themselves.
(Photo via Tow Surfer)
Last January, we reported on a surfer that nearly drowned at Mavericks after being pummeled and washed through rocks by a big wave. That surfer, 30-year-old Jacob Trette of San Clemente, was rescued by an Australian firefighter who was on a personal watercraft taking photographs of the surfers when a large “freak set” caught a pack of them too close to shore.
Here’s the Good Morning America report with footage from that wave:
Even the world’s best surfers have been humbled by Mavericks, which has claimed its share of broken boards and bloodied surfers.
In 1994, Mark Foo, a seasoned big-wave surfer from Hawaii, died while surfing Mavericks. Ten-time surfing world champion Kelly Slater has also talked about how dangerous the wave is after getting held down after a wipeout there in 2000.
Being pinned in the Mavericks are what inspired famed surfer Shane Dorian to begin working with engineers to develop a wet suit that would inflate when the wearer pulled a string, pulling them up from waves holding them down.
And last year at an annual surf contest, even spectators weren’t safe from the waves as they crashed up and over into their area. Watch as it crashes in frightening those in its path and injuring 15:
A few years ago, scientists revealed how such intense waves were formed at the Mavericks, according to Popular Science. Images explaining some of their findings are below.
The blue lines show hypothetical large wave crests propagating in to shore from the west. Wave "rays" (represented by the red lines), or the pathways of wave energy, move perpendicular to the wave crests. In areas where the wave rays, and hence wave energy, converges, the wave height increases. Due to the steep topography of the bedrock reef at Mavericks, the wave energy rapidly converges and the wave height rapidly increases, creating a huge wave. (Caption via Popular Science/Image: Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary)
Contours offshore from Pillar Point north of Half Moon Bay. The color gradient ranges from deeper water (blue) to shallow water depths (red). The Mavericks wave break is indicated by a black box offshore from Sail Rock. (Caption via Popular Science/Image: Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary)
Wormhoudt said Butler had not surfed much before the movie but had made an effort to improve his surfing and water skills for the film.
The group had talked about what to do if they got mowed down by big waves, and Butler wasn’t trying to show off, Wormhoudt added
“Everything he was doing was within reason,” he said. “We took like four to five pretty big waves on the head. Basically there’s nothing you can do.
“It was intense for myself, and I’ve been through a lot out there.”
Butler‘s publicist Rupert Fowler didn’t immediately respond to an email message sent Tuesday. Coastside Fire District Battalion Chief Ari Delay would say only that a surfer sucked under by waves was on the beach when paramedics arrived. He wouldn’t name the surfer.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Comments (32)
Sign In To Post Comments! Sign In
Popular Stories
MSNBC Host Snaps in Heated Segment: ‘What in the World Is Riskier Than Being a Poor Person in America?’ 680 Comments
Does Misstated Marathon Claim Prove Paul Ryan Is Dishonest? (POLL) 639 Comments
‘Jumah at the DNC’ Speaker: ‘Muslims Visited America Prior to Columbus’ & ‘It Was a Muslim’ Who Guided Him to the ‘New World’ 523 Comments
Obama: RNC Like Watching ‘Black-and-White TV’ Because Romney ‘Did Not Offer a Single New Idea’ 360 Comments
Have You Seen the Giant ‘Sand Obama’ Sculpture in Charlotte? 312 Comments
Faith
This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 146 Comments- Pakistani Muslim Cleric Accused of Framing Disabled Christian Girl in Koran-Burning Case Read More
- ‘Made Up Religion’: TV Historian Enrages Muslims, Receives Threats After Producing UK Documentary Questioning Islam’s Beginnings 186 Comments
Meet the Controversial German Imam Accused of Brutally Beating His Wife & Pushing Sharia Law Read More
‘Self-Proclaimed Messiah’ & Unification Church Leader the Rev. Sun Myung Moon Has Died — Here’s His Life Story Read More
Business
- Germany’s Upcoming Court Ruling Will be Huge for the EU Read More
Ford Looks to Beat Toyota for Best-Selling Car in 2012 With This Model 146 Comments
Bernanke & QE3: Here’s What You Need to Know Read More- ‘Extortion’: Why Did the Labor Department ‘Drop the Hammer’ on Oregon Farmers? 300 Comments
Scathing New Ad Capitalizes on Rep. Ryan‘s ’Fading Obama Posters’ Remark 124 Comments
Technology
- This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 146 Comments
‘TaserDrone’: Hackers Weaponize Quadcopter With Actual ‘Shocking’ Technology Read More
Ever Heard of the Wild ‘Burning Man’ Festival in the Middle of the Nev. Desert? Here’s Your Primer Read More
Stanford Develops Technology ‘Better Than Steroids’ for Athlete Recovery Read More
Have You Pretended to Know What ‘the Cloud’ Is? You’re Not Alone Read More
Submitting your tip... please wait!
elkfeva
Posted on December 22, 2011 at 1:13pmButler is a POS… he has been cheating with my sister in law, knowing she is married.. didn’t care. Now a marriage is broken and 2 young children are dealing with a mom and dad that are not together.
Report Post »elkfeva
Posted on December 22, 2011 at 1:15pmThis is still going on.. while he is in that area filming this movie.
Report Post »MaryofAz
Posted on March 6, 2012 at 12:57am@ELKFEVA….IF that is true…… that was so stealth of you to slip that bit of news about yet another man behaving like a man whore, not really interested in the lives he is ruining. Enough to make a person throw up.
Report Post »TheSitRep
Posted on December 21, 2011 at 12:23pmThis, is MaverickA!
Report Post »ishka4me
Posted on December 22, 2011 at 9:17amhe must have big ******! No surfing experience and he was in the water at mavericks! Most life long surfers wouldn’t attempt that.
Report Post »Daveed
Posted on December 21, 2011 at 10:33amI am glad he was okay.
Report Post »Apologist
Posted on December 21, 2011 at 9:54amThis story made me angry. What a total lack of respect for the power of the ocean and the fragility of life. I pray these idiots don’t get somebody killed through their hubris. I have surfed up and down the CA coast for 30 years but only go to Mavericks to watch the raw power of nature…not surf.
Report Post »jim
Posted on December 21, 2011 at 4:58amTubular.
Report Post »AmericanStrega
Posted on December 21, 2011 at 11:18amTotally!
Report Post »KevINtampa
Posted on December 21, 2011 at 4:17amSo people know…
If someone has their head smacked, and you ask them if they went unconcious, and they say “almost”…it’s likely they actually were, if if for a brief moment.
Another comment I have is this…
The sets must have been taking their time, amd obviously this was the biggest wave of the set, luckily; as the paramedics arrived I was a bit shocked that the first thing they didn’t do was move the dude with the ankle injury…another wave from that set could have swept the help away from him and he could have drown in inches of water as he could have been turned face down with his teeth prying against the ground…
Gotta love Mother Nature, even though sometimes she can a real PITA!
Report Post »GONESURFING
Posted on December 21, 2011 at 3:14amSurfs up, let’s go surfing.
Report Post »bjornskis
Posted on December 21, 2011 at 12:34amDecember 23, 1994 (aged 36) Mark Foo big wave expert died there he was one year older then myself.This place can kill even experts and it has a few
Report Post »mauijonny
Posted on December 20, 2011 at 8:29pmYou want to see a big wave, google Jaws Maui (often 50-80′, getting to 120′). Here’s a taste from 2004 – keep in mind, the surfers average abt 6′:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x04ZZIH0qss&feature=related
Otherwise, what the heck was an actor doing trying to surf Mavericks?!?
Report Post »Ookspay
Posted on December 21, 2011 at 12:51pmAloha Jonny, I lived on Maui back in the nineties. I would visit Jaws every winter, simply incredible. I never even dipped my toe in the water though, just watched in awe. I much preffered a “Thousand Peaks”, 6 foot was my max Bruddah, Lol. Mahalo for the link.
Report Post »mdlwoods
Posted on December 20, 2011 at 7:45pmPoor Gerry! Gerry, you know there are guys called “stuntmen” who do those things for you!!!! I LOVE GERRY BUTLER! lol
Report Post »firemanfrank
Posted on December 20, 2011 at 7:38pmA hard working construction guy breaks his hand and cant support his family,there are tens of thousands of soldiers still fighting, But we choose to talk about an actor who got hurt surfing. R u effin kidding me. We deserve NOTHING.
Report Post »godhatesacoward
Posted on December 20, 2011 at 7:58pmYou got that one right! Big brother knows me as a commercial fisherman but when mother nature does not allow us to fish, we have to do what we can. I am a jack of trades. I guess what I’m trying to say is you hit the nail on the head! Oh, and I used to surf, too old ,too fat and could really care less, except for the fact that Mavericks is probally the thickest wave on the planet!
Report Post »Tattarax
Posted on December 21, 2011 at 1:39amI know, right? What’s even worse, is when someone takes the time to make a post complaining about how what they just freely chose to click on and read is a waste of time….
News flash people, the web is metered, every time you click on something, your clicks get counted. So when you click on a story you think is a waste of time, you’re just telling the website owner that you had enough interest to click on it, and the website owner is then going to see the popularity and continue to run similar stories.
Report Post »garyM
Posted on December 20, 2011 at 6:36pm@STOOL, you really picked a good screen name, why are you angry? Yea the women made an idiot post but you made a most idiot one!
Report Post »garyM
Posted on December 20, 2011 at 6:32pmLDS IS THE FASTEST GROWING CHURCH IN THE WORLD!
1 Timothy 4:1
2 Thessalonians 2-10
Revelation 22:19
AmericanStrega
Posted on December 21, 2011 at 11:21amGood for LDS GARYM. Now go somewhere else and post your commercial.
Report Post »greensteam
Posted on December 20, 2011 at 6:12pmno this ones different. not gay at all!!
Psychosis
Posted on December 20, 2011 at 6:10pmshe only told you that so you wouldnt know she was hookin
ZomBrad
Posted on December 20, 2011 at 6:09pmSurfing…..there‘s something I’ll never be able to do :D
Report Post »kaydeebeau
Posted on December 20, 2011 at 6:34pmWhat is up with the wording of the title of this article? It hardly conveys the content or intent of the info contained in it perhaps out rather than up as in pulled out of ???
Report Post »garyM
Posted on December 20, 2011 at 6:01pmI just love those get rich quick books! They work every time!
garyM
Posted on December 20, 2011 at 5:59pmBa ha!
godhatesacoward
Posted on December 20, 2011 at 5:49pm#1 Mavericks is not a hollywood set. It is for real and to have a novice surfer & actor think he could surf this wave is beyond me!
Report Post »#2 Being tethered to a board surfing such a monsterous wave is unbelieveable!
#3 That is one lucky dude!
MODEL82A1
Posted on December 20, 2011 at 5:39pmIt’s amazing they wrote a story about Mavericks without mentioning Jeff Clark.
Report Post »godhatesacoward
Posted on December 20, 2011 at 6:06pmIt’s got to be in the movie somewhere, if they don’t kill someone first. Clark= huge balls!!!!!
Report Post »asybot12
Posted on December 20, 2011 at 6:09pmWatch the WHOLE vid,.He talks about the waves
Report Post »Jenny Lind
Posted on December 20, 2011 at 5:36pmEveryone,jokes about california surfers, and they have a weird reputation, but serious serfers are athelets of the first order. You don’t go where they go unless you are good. It terrifies me.
Report Post »