Hunter local Tyler Bartlett travelled to Hawaii, the surfing capital of the world, with big dreams of catching some big waves.
He wasn't disappointed.
Little did Tyler know that he would be surfing 30 foot waves - almost double the size of waves he surfs at Newcastle's Bar Beach and Merewether Beach.
Bartlett, 20, who is training to becoming a big wave surfer, said he is trying to build up his expertise and experience on surfing big waves.
"The surf in Hawaii was in a whole different ball park, it was much more powerful than any wave here in Australia," he said.
Bartlett, who lives at Lorn, has been surfing for about nine years and travelled to Hawaii in January for a three-week holiday.
Surfing at some of Hawaii's most famous beaches for big waves, Bartlett visited Waimea Bay and Oahu's Himalayas and Sunset Beach.
"The biggest wave was 30 foot, and that's measuring it from the back so on the front of it, it's 60 foot," he said.
"It was like looking up at a big telegraph pole."
Recording one of the biggest swells in at least a decade, the rising swell hit the buoy at 29 feet and 19 seconds and quickly invaded the iconic North Shore bay.
Bartlett said when he saw the first wave of the day it was about 20 foot.
"It was the most perfect big wave I've ever seen, it was awesome," he said.
"It started to pick up every set and then I was getting very nervous."
Deciding to get amongst the action, Bartlett said he tried peddling on a wave and turned around to see a 30 foot wave coming behind him.
"I'm coming up on the wave and then I jump off my board at the last second and I get picked up by the lip and I go down with the lip and it snapped my board and broke my helmet," he said.
When he's not catching big waves or working at cafe Estabar in Newcastle, Bartlett is back in Maitland on-call as a part time retained firefighter for NSW Fire and Rescue.
"I've always wanted to be a firefighter ever since I was a kid," he said.
When he was about six, Bartlett witnessed his neighbor's house burn down and said he felt pretty helpless and would later go on to volunteer in his teens.
"I actually volunteered when I was about 13 until I was 18, and then I got this part time position about a year and a half ago," he said.
Looking ahead into his future Bartlett hopes to someday be travelling the world for big wave surfing and getting paid at a professional level.
"I've always had a joy with the adrenaline rush of surfing big waves," he said.
Bartlett has two main sponsors - Beresfield company Sharkskin Water Sports and Mayfield West surf shop Real Surf Equipment.
Check out his Instagram to follow along on his surfing journey @_tylerbartlett_.
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