Overview

• Momoa revealed it was his first full public account of the 2007 incident, which occurred three months after his daughter Lola Iolani’s birth.
• He recalled paddling 13 miles with Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama before his surfboard leash snapped almost a mile offshore at Peʻahi (Jaws).
• Battered by 10-foot Hawaiian waves, he gave up until his foot found the outer reef, allowing him to cling for about 10 minutes under relentless surf.
• Hamilton’s timely rescue led to a grueling paddle back to shore, during which Momoa’s feet were cut and bleeding from coral and exhaustion.
• The near-death experience prompted him to quit smoking two to three packs of cigarettes a day, a habit he has not resumed.