By Wil Longbottom
Last updated at 10:50 AM on 07th November 2008

The moment surfer takes on 41-foot monster wave... and lives to tell the tale



A daredevil surfer is pictured tackling a giant 41 foot wave in a bid to win himself a prestigious award.

Kerby Brown took on the monster during a session at a top secret reef, and nearly didn't live to tell the tale.

Moments after these pictures were taken, he suffered a devastating wipeout which nearly killed him.

The big one: Kerby Brown starts his run with his brother Courtney looking on from his jetski as the wave gathers momentum

He said: 'Usually the wave never steps out or goes evil like that one, but it just went dry - the hardest wave I've ever had to surf.

'I went straight over the lip and did about 10 backflips and then pulled a muscle in my shoulder.

The daredevil surfer is dwarfed by the giant wave

'It felt like I ripped my arm out of its socket, my leggie snapped and then I felt like I was the deepest I'd ever been.'

The unbelievable pictures have been entered into the prestigious Oakley Surfing Life Big Wave Awards, which rewards the riders of the biggest waves in Australasian waters.

Wipeout: The massive wave begins to break and Kerby is seconds away from his biggest ever wipeout which left him with torn shoulder muscles