Gerard Butler nearly drown after he was pulled underwater by two large waves while filming surfing movie Men and Mavericks.
“[Butler] had that 100-yard stare that surfers get after a two-wave hold-down or near-death experience,” reports ESPN.
The actor was taken by ambulance to nearby Stanford Medical Center, not seriously injured but in an alter state mentally after being rescued by a safety patrolman.
Butler was shooting some scenes at Mavericks, a big-wave surfing spot in northern California. This are host some of the best big-wave surfing in the world during the winter. It’s also known as a spot for causing notable surfing deaths over the years too.
Zach Wormhoudt, a surfer who was filming with Butler, mentioned that they were caught off guard by a set of waves.
“It was probably the biggest set of the day,” said the surfer. “It was intense for myself and I’ve been through a lot out there. Everything he was doing was within reason. We took like four to five pretty big waves on the head. Basically, there’s nothing you can do.”
A rep for Butler says the 300 star is expected to make a full recovery.
