By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
Big Wave Surfer Marcio Freire has passed away. He was 47.
An official cause of death has not been announced yet. However, according to reports, he died in a tragic accident in Portugal.
Freire was part of the popular 2016 “Mad Dogs” documentary, according to TMZ Sports.
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They are reporting that he had been hitting massive waves on Thursday at Praia do Norte beach in Nazare. After hitting a wave, he was practicing his “tow-in,” according to TMZ, when he fell off the board.
After falling off the board, the Portuguese National Maritime Authority found him in cardio-respiratory arrest. Once Freire was on land, the medical personnel began their attempt to save his life.
However, those attempts were not successful.
“Man what a sad day for surfing,” Matt Meola said in an Instagram post. “Hard to imagine somebody who seemed so big and invincible is gone. I’m sure many people have a similar story about @marciofreiremaddog but figured I would share. In 2009 and one of the first really big swells I ever towed into Jaws, it was @billykemper @live.fast.die.old @_marloni and I. A bunch of young kids trying to prove ourselves in a lineup of all the best big-wave surfers in the world. It was really intense and scary with countless tow teams and Jetski’s weaving and snaking each other for position. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I remember glancing in and seeing one guy sitting alone amongst the chaos trying to paddle into the left, I forget who was on the ski with me, but we drove up to him to make sure he was ok. Of course, it was @marciofreiremaddog. No vest, no other surfers, just him and his gun.
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“@marciofreiremaddog along with @danilocouto11 and @yusuf had been paddling and pioneering jaws for a few years prior but this day was different. It was so much bigger than I had ever seen attempted. We told @marciofreiremaddog he was out of his mind and that it was too big to be paddling. He seemed so calm and just smiled. He said something like, “I gotta try, maybe I get one maybe I don’t.” At the time, I just thought he was a lunatic. I didn’t realize what an inspirational moment that was until a couple of years later, when I found myself out in a lineup terrified again, alongside him and the rest of the big wave community. All of us are on paddle boards. Not a tow team in sight. @marciofreiremaddog and the Mad Dogs changed big wave surfing forever. Such an inspiration for me and so many others. More than all the charging, I will remember his huge smile.”
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