Gold Coast ocean athlete Phil Clayton photographed tackling huge wave at Burleigh Heads on Sunday

This Gold Coast ocean athlete reckons riding massive waves is a bit like “rolling over the top of a block of flats and then just going straight down”.

Gold Coast ocean athlete Phil Clayton reckons riding massive waves is a bit like “rolling over the top of a block of flats and then just going straight down”.

The 46-year-old was snapped by Instagrammer @photowilba tackling the monster swell estimated between 10-12 foot (3-3.6 metres) at Burleigh on Sunday.

Gold Coast ocean athlete Phil Clayton rides a monster wave at Burleigh on Sunday. Picture: Instagram/@photowilba

Sizeable waves smashed city beaches over the weekend, resulting in noticeable scarping.

Mr Clayton paddled into the fray atop a surf lifesaving mal amid Bureau of Meteorology hazardous surf warnings – an activity he does not recommend for the average boardrider.

He has been tackling big waves since age 10, perhaps most famously during the Uncle Tobys Super Series at Piha beach, New Zealand in 1996, when waves were recorded at about 15 foot (4.5m).

Former ironman Phil Clayton (front) with community ocean swimming group members at Tallebudgera Creek in 2020. Picture: Nigel Hallett

“It’s thrilling. It’s a buzz. It’s one of the most wonderful feelings,” Mr Clayton said.

“It took me three goes to get out on Sunday.

“I reckon they (the waves) were 10-12 foot maybe. Some people would say bigger, some would say smaller. It was quite big surf.”

Mr Clayton said a few surfers tried to paddle out alongside him, with little success.

Onlookers rush to help a jet ski rider after the watercraft washed up on the rocks at Burleigh.

“There was so much whitewash. That was the hardest part, dealing with the whitewash.”

“Once you got on the waves they were great fun. Big, rolling waves that rolled in forever. “Paddling back out and getting cleaned up was the scary part.”

Gold Coast ocean athelete Phil Clayton paddles into a wave. Picture: Instagram/@photowilba

Mr Clayton witnessed a jet ski get “washed up on the rocks” in the wild weather.

He warned surfers not to over-estimate their abilities.

“I run a swimming business and my life is fitness. I’ve been doing this for so long, I don’t find this scary.”

“If I fall off my board and I have to swim I don’t find that a problem at all. I can go under any size wave. Because It’s just water – as long as I know how to hold my breathe and not panic, it’s not too scary for me.

“You start off with a really small wave and you progress. You progress from a small two footer, to a three, or four, or five foot wave. As you get older all of a sudden peer pressure comes into play.

“Your mates all challenge you to go a little bit further, push a bit harder and next thing you know you’re out in massive surf and you’re part of the tribe of big wave surfers out there having a great time.”

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