Alex is now breathing without any artificial aid, and he is perfectly conscious.

About an hour ago, they tweeted that an update on Botelho was coming. He will stay at the hospital for further evaluation.”“A heartfelt thank you to the safety and medical teams for their quick response. Pic: Carlos Barroso/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockSpanish surfer Axier Muniain rides a wave during the big waves Nazare Tow Surfing Challenge

Surfers and support staff help surfer Alex Botelho. The surfing community is in uproar after big wave surfer Alex Botelho’s horrific jet ski accident at the Nazare Tow Surfing challenge in Nazaré, Portugal.The accident, at one of the most notorious big wave locations in the world, occurred as the Portuguese surfer was being towed back to shore on the back of a jetski.Botelho and the driver of the jetski were flung high up into the air as they found themselves right in the middle of two huge waves colliding.The surf star was knocked unconscious as he fell back down to the water and hit his head on the jet ski.Brazilian big-wave surfing legend Carlos Burle explained how it unfolded and praised the professionalism of the staff on hand.“Today during the WSL Nazare Tow Surfing Challenge, Portuguese surfer Alex Botelho suffered a serious accident, being surprised by a wave and hit in the head by his duo’s jet-ski,” Burle said.“Very sad about what happened at a very high level event, very well organized, and especially for a professional companion to go through it. He was rushed to the hospital and we now have an update on his condition. We are wishing Alex a full and speedy recovery.”Despite the heartfelt message, the surf league has been copping it for their coverage of the event, specifically how they broadcast the vision of the incident live and then shared an edited video package of the crash to social media before they provided an update on the surfer’s health.“Uh, did WSL hold off on providing an update on Alex Botelho’s accident until they could cut together a video?” USA Today reporter Hemal Jhaveri wrote.“There also looks to be drone footage of Botelho floating unconscious in the water. "Honestly, very few would have survived, just a beast of a human like Alex to pull thru.. not only because the strong human he is, but mostly for the love many people have for him praying to pull thru. But on their way to shore, two massive walls of whitewater converged on the jet ski.“A heartfelt thank you to the safety and medical teams for their quick response,” the WSL wrote. Big wave surfer Alex Botelho was rushed to the hospital after a severe crash off the coast of Nazaré in Portugal, considered to be among of the most dangerous waters for surfers in the world. Browse The Independent’s complete collection of articles and commentary on Alex Botelho. Doctors confirmed that there's still water in his lungs."

Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.We have an update on Alex Botelho's condition. Big wave surfer Alex Botelho is said to be "stable and conscious" afetr being knocked unconscious after being caught between a collision of two large waves. “We are wishing Alex a full and speedy recovery.”Fellow Portugese surfer Nic von Rupp weighed in on the gut-wrenching events on Instagram.“Today I was confronted with the reality of our sport, heartbreaking watching my brother @alex_botelho between life and death right in front of the eyes of the world,” This was the first time that the WSL’s Big Wave tour visited Nazaré, which is notorious for having some of the biggest waves on the planet. 44.1k Followers, 815 Following, 1,123 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Alex Botelho (@alex_botelho) He will stay at the hospital for further evaluation. ""Currently, he is stable and conscious. It’s nuts.”The writer went on to explain that big wave surfers will always be willing to put themselves in dangerous situations, but argued that broadcasters needed to treat horror accidents carefully.If you’d like to view this content, please adjust yourTo find out more about how we use cookies, please see our“Today’s events with Alex Botelho just sealed the deal. "A heartfelt thank you to the safety and medical teams for their quick response. He is currently in the hospital under close observation for the next 48/72 hours."