Surfing Daredevil Andrew ‘Cotty’ Cotton Returns from Broken Back to Take On World’s Largest Waves

17th November 2021

Andrew Cotton is better known in big wave surfing circles as ‘Cotty’

Four years after breaking his back when he wiped out surfing the massive swell at Nazaré, a British big wave rider has returned to Portugal conquer his demons, as Metro reports.

Andrew ‘Cotty’ Cotton was a regular at Ireland’s surfing hot spots like Mullaghmore Head before the fateful attempt to ride the infamous wall of water at Praia do Norte in November 2017 that left him with a serious spinal injury.

But the Devon man, now 39, was determined to heal and return to surfing fitness. He was back at Nazaré last year just three years after his potentially life-changing injury.

And this year he’s staying in Portugal for the big wave season, with a view to catching another 80-footer that could mean a place in the record books.

Metro has more on the story HERE.

Published in Surfing

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MacDara Conroy

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MacDara Conroy is a contributor covering all things on the water, from boating and wildlife to science and business

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