Back-breaking wave sends surfer cannonballing through air

British surfer Andrew Cotton has had his back broken in what he has called the “worst wipe-out impact-wise of my life”.

Mr Cotton, 36, was surfing near Nazaré, Portugal yesterday when the devastating spill occurred.

Video captured by a documentary filmmaker shows Mr Cotton appearing to leap off his board moments before being engulfed by the white wall.

Seconds later he appears, seemingly propelled through the air by the force of the wave, only to hit the water a second time, vanishing from view.

Mr Cotton was rescued by lifeguards, stabilised and taken to hospital. Hours later he shared the video in an Instagram post.

“What can I say, I got a little excited this morning and ending up having possibly the worst wipe-out impact wise of my life,” he wrote in the caption.

Mr Cotton’s brush with death seems to have left him undeterred, with the surfer already planning his comeback.

“I have broken my back but I’ve been really lucky, I’m already looking forward and focusing my energy to get fit and back out there on some more big rollers!” he wrote.

Praio do Norte, the surfing spot where Mr Cotton was surfing at the time of the accident, is reputed to have some of the largest waves in the world.