Operation Deep Blue / Mark Visser Airdrops with Jetskis

ADVENTURE ATHLETE MARK VISSER AIRDROPS WITH JET SKIS INTO MASSIVE WAVE LOCATIONS NEVER BEFORE ATTEMPTED FOR “NINE LIVES” DOCUMENTARY

Australian big wave surfer and adventure athlete Mark Visser (known for recently riding JAWS 40ft break at night, and taking on the biggest swell to hit Tasmania) continues to break the boundaries of Big Wave surfing by jumping from a plane into massivestorm swells in the middle of the open ocean to surf what has never been accomplished. With the help of satellite technology and a group of scientists, Visser is in search for the next big thing that of which all big wave surfers dream about - the 100ft wave.

Almost seven months after his first undertaking with “Night Rider” which saw him take on 40ft swell at the infamous JAWS break, 28-year-old Australian athlete Mark Visser has been training with Navy Seals and a variety of specialized experts to complete his next “Nine Lives” project titled, “Operation Deep Blue”.

Photo Credit: Dallas Olsen

“Operation Deep Blue” follows Visser and researchers from the International Aerospace Centre as they discover massive waves located thousands of miles from land. These “freak” waves have been responsible for sinking ocean-liners, naval vessels and destroying oilrigs. This natural ocean phenomenon can create waves that reach heights of 100ft. Until now, they have been nearly impossible to predict and no athlete has ever gone to these lengths to find them. Not only is Visserfinding these waves, he’s surfing them.

“Everyone knew that these rogue waves were out there. We knew that they were bigger than 80 feet,” said Visser. “The hardest part was figuring out how to get out into the middle of the ocean.”

In order to get to the waves in time, both heand his crew (including his jet skis strapped tightly with his surf boards)dropped from the air into outer sea locations where a seaplane could not land and helicopters did not have the fuel range. These areas take up to four days to reach on a boat, so airdropping is the only option in order to arrive at the optimal window for surfing conditions.

“This project was really terrifying. Being out in the middle of theocean without seeing a speck of land is a very humbling experience and you definitely feel very, very alone out there,” explained Visser.

“Operation Deep Blue” will be the second project episode in the “Nine Lives” documentary series. Continue to follow Mark Visser to find out more about the documentary series of world firsts at: http://www.markvisser.net and at http://www.facebook.com/MarkVi55er