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“Once you think you have Mother Ocean completely figured out, she will quickly humble you and remind you that you are completely at her mercy.”

Dramatic scenes from Teahupoo yesterday afternoon after an Australian teenage surf photographer was pulled unconscious from the water by the heavy, 2.5-meter-high surf.

The Photographer of Santa Cruz Ryan Craig and local bodyboarder Angelo Fararie dragged Australian Byron Mcloughlin out of the water after floating face down past the couple.

Nineteen-year-old Mclouhglin, who was filming the action from an inflatable bodyboard, had been sucked over the falls on an earlier set and into the lagoon. Former tour surfer Michel Bourez went to pick him up and took him back to the canal.

He returned to the lineup to shoot and was found face down thirty minutes later during a quiet match. When Mcloughlin was turned over, his lips were blue and there was foam on his mouth.

He was rushed to hospital, where he was placed in an induced coma.

It is not the first time that the Australian has faced a disaster in the surf.

Two years ago, Mcloughlin described how she nearly drowned in Padang Padang, Bali, after a marathon six-hour filming session.

“I knew I was in trouble. I still had no local knowledge of this place because it was my first time here. It was getting darker and darker and I decided to scream for help,” he told The Inertia.

The story continues:

Two South African surfers came to his aid, paddling out while he held on to their boards. But without fins on his feet to help him kick and a heavy camera case, McLoughlin felt like he was dragging them around like dead weight. He was tired, it was dark, and two strangers were risking their lives to keep him out of harm’s way. McLoughlin admits that at this point he thought the worst was happening and considered dropping his camera, but the group came up with another plan instead. One surfer paddled in to get help while the other waited with him. Almost an hour later, they saw lights and heard whistles.

“We were just waiting for the tide to come out a little bit and then the guy, on a quick thought, decided to grab my camera, give me his board to lie on and go catch a wave while he left his board leash around his leg,” he describes. “It was basically a tandem wave.”

He adds: “I remember being really panicked and telling them to call the right help – police, ambulance etc. But they kept reminding me where I was – Padang Padang – everything here is on a cliff. No one can get a boat or jet ski here.”

Ultimately, they returned with a broken camera, a handful of reef footage and some precious memories for McLoughlin.

“Your mindset in that situation and your ability to remain calm and collected as the beatings and restraints continue to come… that’s going to determine whether you become a statistic or just have a heartbreaking story to tell the boys later,” he says. “Once you think you’ve got Mother Ocean figured out, she’ll quickly humble you and remind you that you’re completely at her mercy.”