Jason Momoa Opens Up On The Near-Death Experience That Made Him Quit Smoking

The actor said his feet were "covered in blood" following the "brutal" experience in his native Hawaii.

Jason Momoa has revealed that he nearly drowned while surfing in his native Hawaii, leading him to quit smoking.

The “Chief of War” star, in an appearance on the “Smartless” podcast with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, recalled going to the renowned big wave surfing break Pe’ahi (Jaws) in Maui when — while almost a mile offshore — the leash connected to his surfboard snapped.

“It’s so windy on Maui, and so the board just went. I couldn’t even see it anymore,” said the actor, who had paddled 13 miles down the coast with friends at the time.

Momoa, who wanted to be a surfer growing up and who hails from a family of celebrated surfers and watermen, said he “trained pretty well” for such situations, but he “took quite a few” to the head as 10-foot high waves rolled in.

“It’s actually, this place is called Shitfucks, and it’s literally because there’s all this water that pulls out ... and it just pulls you out and you just get hit with these waves,” he explained.