Why big wave surfer Sebastian Steudtner feels most at ‘peace’ at the mercy of Mother Nature

As the swell begins to form and the crest starts soaring into the sky, surfer Sebastian Steudtner puts one hand back to feel the wall of energy rumbling behind him.

As the swell begins to form and the crest starts soaring into the sky, surfer Sebastian Steudtner puts one hand back to feel the wall of energy rumbling behind him. In just a matter of seconds, the giant wave starts to violently explode onto the shoreline, sending the 38-year-old racing through the chaos at speeds of almost 100 kilometers per hour (roughly 62 mph). Set against these watery-monoliths of Mother Nature, Steudtner looks totally vulnerable, but it’s a brief moment in time when the surfer feels most at peace. “It’s complete chaos and you would think, as an outsider, it’s terrifying,” the big wave surfer tells CNN Sport. “It’s almost like a horrific experience, but it’s so peaceful to me. Everything becomes simple. Life in general, you know, you are consistently dealing with a hundred different things and fighting problems and challenges and you’re moving really quick. “Being exposed to this radical, physical, ginormous energy, and being humbled by it makes me really peaceful.”