Mavericks Surfer Critical, In Coma After Wipeout

HALF MOON BAY (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ― An Orange County surfer who wiped out on a treacherous wave at Mavericks over the weekend was in a medically induced coma on Monday afternoon, hospital officials said.

Stanford Medical Center spokeswoman Liat Kobza said 30-year-old Jacob Trette was listed in critical condition after nearly drowning and suffering serious injuries at the famed surf spot north of Half Moon Bay, about a half-mile from Pillar Point Harbor.

Trette and more than a dozen others were riding 15- to 18-foot waves Saturday morning when a larger one, estimated to be about 20 feet, surprised them.

"It was a big set that caught everybody, and he just happened to be in a really bad place," observed big wave surfer Jeff Clark, who witnessed the incident from bluffs above the ocean.

Authorities said Trette was found face down and not breathing in the water and was pulled out by a photographer on a personal watercraft and taken to shore.

He was then taken by medical helicopter to Stanford where he was initially listed in serious condition on Saturday afternoon.

KCBS' Janice Wright Reports:

Trette, an accomplished surfer from San Clemente, had only attempted the waves at Mavericks - the site of an internationally known big wave surf contest - once before.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)