Jason Momoa recently opened up about a life-threatening surfing experience that convinced him to quit smoking.
In an episode of the SmartLess podcast, Momoa shared the harrowing details of the incident, which occurred while surfing at Pe’ahi, also known as Jaws, in Maui.
The Aquaman star was surfing with friends Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama when his surfboard leash snapped, leaving him stranded almost a mile offshore. The waves were enormous, reaching 10 feet high, and Momoa was battered by the water, eventually losing his shorts.
“It’s so windy on Maui, and so the board just went. I couldn’t even see it anymore,” he recalled. “So I was stuck in this crazy spot, which is probably the outer reef, and unknown to me, I was really on the outer reef, and they couldn’t see me, and I had my paddle, and I was waving it, and they couldn’t see me. And the waves were so big, it basically took my shorts off they were so f—ing big.”
As Momoa struggled to stay afloat, he thought about his family, particularly his three-month-old daughter at the time. He eventually gave up hope, feeling like he was going to die.
However, he managed to grab onto a rock or possibly a whale, which allowed him to briefly surface and breathe. “I dig my feet into the coral, and I’m literally in the middle of the ocean, and I’m just, I could barely put my lips above it just to breathe and get a break, but I had already given up. So it’s like, you’ve already given up and died and have a second chance at it.”
The Last Manhunt star’s friend eventually rescued him, but not before his feet were covered in blood from trying to hold onto the coral. This traumatic experience had a profound impact on Momoa, particularly regarding his smoking habit.
“I couldn’t stop for my kids, I couldn’t stop for my ex, I couldn’t stop smoking,” he said. “The moment I came out, I never smoked again. I just died. I just died. I tried and tried, but I couldn’t do it again because I just, I gave up. Like, I gave up my life.”