World record holding surfer Shawn Dollar has broken his neck in four places.
The surfer, who holds the record for the largest wave ever paddled into, was hospitalised after an accident off the Californian coast on Monday.
The 34-year-old is now in a stable condition in hospital, his management agency Titans of Maverick confirmed.
“I’m so thankful I’m alive and present today. Being surrounded by my loved ones through this time has been paramount for me,” the surfer said in a statement posted on Facebook on Thursday.
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A father of two, Mr Dollar was picked up by fellow surfers who rushed him onto the shore and into a hospital emergency room.
“I’m so grateful for those who were there in my scariest and darkest hour and who acted on my behalf to get me to safety,” he said.
It is believed despite his injuries the surfer will make a full recovery.
Mr Dollar has spoken of his fears of drowning before. In a 2013 interview with local newspaper the San Francisco Chronicle he said he thought “about drowning every single day. That’s why I am so focussed about safety.”
Additional reporting by Reuters
