Bodysurfer Kalani Lattanzi is dropping jaws around the globe after pulling off one of the most insane things ever seen in the Aussie surf.
The Brazilian superhuman is on the verge of going viral after he was seen on camera conquering what is likely to be an Australian record wave while tackling the ferocious conditions that have thundered across the Australian eastern coastline in recent days.
At the notorious Wedding Cake Island break, 1km off the coast of Coogee in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, the frenzied conditions whipped up to create plain silly 25ft waves crashing off the rock platform.
Monday’s conditions in Coogee have been described by some locals as the biggest surf ever seen in the area and it took a special kind of lunatic to venture out into the surfing abyss.
But Lattanzi is clearly that special kind of person.
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In insane photos that have begun to race across social media, Lattanzi was seen dropping in from the top of a 25ft wave — paddling by himself without getting a tow in before plummeting down the water cliff.
Lattanzi was swallowed by the lip at one point, but it didn’t stop him from conquering the pounding beast. Most importantly, he has lived to tell the tale.
The 27-year-old wrote on Instagram alongside some photos of his incredible ride: “A day to remember. The locals said it was the biggest Swell at this spot “Wedding Cake Island”.
“Twenty five plus Heavy water and crazy currents.”
Those who saw the feat live were blown away.
The photographer that operates the popular “Hell Swell” Instagram account wrote Lattanzi “dropped out of the sky”.
Bondi Rescue star Anthony Glick, who captured incredible shots of Lattanzi dropping in, posted on Instagram the feat was “so epic to watch”.
“One of the craziest things I have ever seen another human do,” he wrote on his Instagram stories.
Photographer Dallas Kilponen wrote on Twitter: “Just incredible. The guy is amazing”.
Veteran sports journalist Rupert Guinness wrote: “My goodness. Wow”.
Twitter user Philip Jackson responded to the photo, writing: “This just makes my spine tingle. The courage to tackle this is beyond comprehension”.
The Hell Swell account also described Lattanzi as a “gladiator” and posted Lattanzi was “doing s*** you don’t see in movies”.
Last year, Lattanzi released his biopic Kalani: Gift from Heaven, which further explains why he would risk life and limb to have such a perfect moment in the Sydney surf.
Residents across New South Wales are still being urged to keep away from the coast as strong winds continue to drum up dangerous surf.
Hazardous surf warnings remained in place on Tuesday along the coast of NSW, including the Byron Coast, Coffs Coast, Macquarie Coast and Hunter Coast.
Waves of up to six-metres are possible after “mountain-like” waves of up to 12 metres smashed daring surfers at Sydney’s eastern beaches on Monday.
Manly Beach is the only patrolled beach to remain open along the coast on Tuesday, while waves of up to six-metres in height remain possible throughout the day.
People were on Tuesday being urged to stay out of the water and avoid walking near surf-exposed areas.
NSW Maritime acting executive director Darren Wood said he “wouldn’t recommend going out at all”.
“They’re dangerous conditions to be out on the water … if you go out on your boat there’s a good chance you’ll capsize,” he said.
“Just stay out of the water, it’s not worth it.”
Sky meteorologist Rob Sharpe said there had been significant beach erosion after wild surf battered the NSW coast on Monday, with waves reaching up to 12m in height.
“Especially for those south-facing beaches that have been the most exposed to these very large waves,” he said.
“There’s been some significant coastal erosion moving through.
“There’s been significant impacts, not just because there’s been big swells, there’s also been king tides as well.”
