Mutant Waves And Insane Wipeouts

Freak waves, mutant waves—no matter what you call them, not a surfer out there likes to ride one. Waves earn this pejorative adjective when the following happens: a wave starts out looking beautiful and clean, a surfer drops in and starts to ride, when all of a sudden the wave dramatically breaks at random points throughout its face—creating step-like bumps throughout it. Surfers often hit these and lose control, causing crazy wipeouts.

This video not only showcases the carnage that these mutant waves can cause, but also allows viewers to get really up-close-and-personal with a type of wave that not many people will experience in a lifetime. And it's incredible.

South was shot at Storm Bay, off of the coast of Tasmania, Australia.