Surfer recovering at Bunbury Hospital after riding Gracetown monster wave

A champion paddleboard surfer has cheated after an 18-metre wave crashed over him in Gracetown on Saturday.

Surfer Justin Holland broke his leg after being dumped by a six-storey wave in Gracetown. Photo: Instagram

A champion paddleboard surfer cheated death thanks to his best friend and a high-performance wetsuit when his leg bone shattered after a 18-metre monster wave crashed over him in Gracetown on Saturday.

But daredevil Justin Holland of Kingscliff, NSW, who is currently recovering in a Bunbury Hospital after receiving surgery on his broken leg believes he can still challenge for the 2015 title.

Justin Holland broke his leg after being dumped by a six-storey wave in Gracetown. Photo: Instagram.

Mr Holland said he may owe his survival to a revolutionary wetsuit he was wearing that allows for emergency inflation.

Justin Holland of Kingscliff, NSW, currently sitting fifth on the World Stand-Up Tour, was tow-surfing when he was hit by the freak wave at infamous Gracetown surf break Cow Bombie.

The big wave was driven all the way from Antarctica as part of WA's monster swell of the decade.

The 38-year-old father-of-two had rushed over to WA on Thursday with his best mate Jamie Mitchell from Hawaii on the promise of meeting up with some colossal waves.

"We pretty much chase the big swells all around the world," Mr Holland said from his hospital bed after a three-and-a-half hour surgery that inserted two titanium rods into his splintered leg.

He said after the duo arrived in Perth they headed straight to Margaret River to pick up gear and then drove to Gracetown.

Mr Holland said that they hit the water on Friday along with a film crew from Mysurf TV.

"There were some big swells and it was a fun day," he said.

The surfers headed out again on Saturday and Mr Holland said they were the first ones out to the infamous Cow Bombie break about two kilometres offshore.

"I got towed into a few and I'd ridden about six-eight when the big one came in," Mr Holland said.

"It didn't look that big at first, but it just grew and grew. The ride started off well; it was silky smooth and I was flying down it.

"I started to angle back toward the breaking part of the wave. As I was starting to turn, the lip just came down on top of me," he said.

Mr Holland said that his leg broke straight away under the weight of tonnes of white water. 

"The pain was excrutiating. Even though I'd usually hold my breath, I let out an involuntary gasp. Fortunately, I'd been testing a new type of wetsuit. I pulled the ripcord and it popped me to the surface in a second.

Mr Mitchell who was nearby on a jet ski wasn't able to get to his stricken mate straight away as he was battered by another giant wave.

"He got to me before the third one and flipped me onto the back of the jet ski. That wave was big enough to have destroyed us," Mr Holland said.

After Mr Holland got to shore he was taken by ambulance to Margaret River Hospital where they cut off his wet suit and assessed the damage.

"I was pretty lucky. The leg was shattered and the bone could have easily punctured the femoral artery. The new wetsuit has a lot of reinforcement and I think that help keep all the broken bits stable," he said.

Justin Holland receives medical attention after he wiped out at famous Gracetown surf break Photo: @Roxanne_Taylor, ABC News.

Mr Holland was later transferred to Bunbury Hospital where he underwent surgery on Saturday night.

He was still in pain on Sunday, but looking forward to seeing his wife Shelly, en route from Sydney. He had also been buoyed by telephone conversations with his son Charlie, 12 and daughter Domino, 10.

His mate, Mr Mitchell, is already heading back to his home base in Hawaii on the lookout for more big waves.

Mr Holland could be in hospital for up to two weeks.  He said doctors believed he would make a full recovery over six-10 weeks and that he could be back on a board within three months.

Unbelievably, he could still be a contender for the World Stand Up Tour title.

"Your top four rides are what counts. I could still get another couple in before the end of the year – so who knows?" he said.

"I'm ready to get back out there. I think I was just a bit unlucky with my positioning. I was actually more worried about sharks, being the only one out there in the water," he said.

The Stand Up World Tour is the Official World Championship Tour for Stand Up Paddlesurfing. It has grown, since 2009, into a global sport with events held in six countries and with competitors from 15 nations.

The Bureau of Meteorology said that the abnormal wave conditions were caused by a storm from the Antarctic region.