Liv Bridge
Jason Momoa reveals the near-death experience that scared him so much he kicked a dirty habit to the curb right there and then.
It's hard to imagine the buff Aquaman ever finding himself in a spot of danger, let alone in a territory his fans might consider would come second nature to him.
However, the Honolulu, Hawaii, native has revealed he was left fighting for his life when he became way out of his depth one day when a beach trip turned awry.
The situation was apparently so frightening, that it stunned Momoa into quitting smoking immediately after - a habit he'd been unable to give up even for his family.
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Revealing what happened on the SmartLess podcast, the 46-year-old said he had gone surfing with three buddies on Maui when he got into trouble in the water.
"We paddled 13 miles down the coast and you're kind of almost a mile offshore. We're about seven miles into it and my leash snapped," Momoa said, describing how his board flew away with the wind.
Immediately after coming off, the Game of Thrones star said he was being pummelled by 10-foot waves in a spot of the water renowned among surfers for being particularly dangerous, earning it the title 's***f***s'.
"It pulls you out and you just get hit with these waves," Momoa continued. "So I was stuck in this crazy spot and unknown to me I was really on the outer reef and they couldn't see me. 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 it was so f**king big. I was out there for a while and then I just couldn't see anyone coming to get me. And I couldn't move anymore and my arms and my legs gave up after, you know, I was out there for a while."
In the terrifying moment, Momoa said all he could think about was his then three-month-old baby girl and prayed to his ancestors.
His buddy, Larry Hamilton, then saw Momoa struggling and tried to come to his aid but saw the Dune star sink beneath the waves.
"He came from behind and I had already given up. My body stopped, like, I couldn't move my arms anymore and I bubbled down," he continued.
"And then my toe hit the outer reef. Like, I literally gave up and I'm screaming inside and my foot just hits the outer reef. And I don't know if it was a f***ing whale or like it just could have been one rock. But I just reached down, grab it. I jump up.
"I get hit by another wave and 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 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."
He said he clung on to the side of the reef and was '10 minutes dead' when Larry managed to scoop him up.
Momoa said he then had seven miles to paddle back to shore while his feet were 'covered in blood', all the while praying to his grandparents.
Clearly, he survived the traumatic ordeal but revealed on the podcast that he never picked up a cigarette again after the incident.
"I used to smoke and I used to smoke like two, three packs a day. I couldn't stop for my kids, I couldn't stop for my ex. I couldn't stop smoking," he continued.
"And the moment I came out, I never smoked again. Like, I just died. Like I tried and tried, but like I couldn't do it again because I just, I gave up. Like, I gave up my life."