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Six Australian pro surfers experienced
the ride of their lives on the night of June 4, 1994, when the
tsunami struck their surf camp at G-Land, a famous surfing spot.
The six, Richard Marsh, Rob Bain, Shanne Herring, Simon Law,
Neal Purchase and Richie Lovett were sleeping in huts at the
camp when the 20-foot tsunami waves hit, washing surfers, huts,
and everything else at the camp into the jungle. Lovett, who
recalls awakening to the sound of a jet taking off, described
the experience as "being hit by a train at full speed".
Marsh, Lovett's hut mate, thought a Tiger was attacking them,
but soon realized it was a wave. "I was completely panicking.
It was a matter of surviving, just grabbing onto things to stay
above the water, trying to keep all the debris away from my head
and , above all, to get a breath."
Entangled in derbis from their hut, and
fighting for air, Marsh and Lovett were swept hundreds of feet
into the jungle. "The hut had disappeared and I was entwined
in logs and trees and bits of bamboo," said Lovett, recalling
the experience. "When the water started to subside. I was
stuck with my legs pinned under a whole lot of logs and rubbish."
Of the six, only Lovett was injured badly enough to merit a quick
return to Australia for medical attention. The rest, miraculously,
received only minor cuts, bruises and abrasions from the experience.
When asked for his comments in the days following his brush with
death, Lovett responded with a laugh, "Yeah, I can say I've
surfed G-land. I surfed it in a hut through the jungle."
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