A body-boarder in Sydney got a rougher ride than he bargained for when a freak wave threw him six metres into the air.
Jack Baker was hit by the backwash wave at Cronulla beach and suffered a burst lung.
The 22-year-old lost a litre of blood and was terrified he was going to die.
"I had been getting a bit antsy that day because the waves were blowing - I even said to the photographer who was in the water with me, 'This backwash is going to kill someone'," he told 7 News.
"I felt like I had loads of sea water in my mouth and throat that I was coughing up but then I realised it was all this blood.
"My heart sank, I tried to control my breathing and get myself out of the water and as I got onto the rocks everyone came running straight over to me."
The terrifying experience was caught on camera by surfer Craig Stroh, who said he thought the 22-year-old had died when he saw him flung into the water.
Mr Baker has been ordered out of the water for a month, but says the experience hasn't put him off.
"I still love it and it won't stop me from getting back out there - it hasn't put me off and it will be the first place I'll be back in the water," he said.
Newshub.