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Surfer Andrew Cotton plans to return to his board after breaking his back on 50ft wave

A British surfer who broke his back when a 50ft wave crashed on top of him is recovering at home in Devon and says he aims to be back on a board by February.

Andrew Cotton, 36, is a professional surfer who travels the globe hunting for the world's biggest waves.

It was in Portugal in early November that he broke his back in mountainous seas off Nazare in Portugal.

Footage of the incident went viral after Mr Cotton posted it on Instagram, with the caption: "What can I say, I got a little excited this morning and ending up having possibly the worst wipe-out impact wise of my life."

Mr Cotton spent a few days recovering in hospital in Portugal, before seeing a specialist in Manchester. He is now back at home with his family in Devon and says he hopes to be surfing again by the end of the season.

Recalling what happened on his first trip to the beach since the accident, he told Sky News: "It was the hardest impact I have ever had.

"The pain was instant, shooting in my back and in my right leg. I was in so much pain I literally couldn't swim or move so I couldn't get onto the rescue jet ski and so I had another wave break on me."

Mr Cotton has to wear a body brace and has been given various exercises to help him on the road to recovery - for example, static cycling, weight lifting and stretches. He has previously snapped his crucial ligament in his knee surfing, but this is the worst injury of his career.

He said: "I travel and chase big waves. There was a big swell in California yesterday and I was looking at photos on social media and my mates were there.

"I was wishing that I was fit and healthy, but it is kind of nice to have a focus of getting better and my thoughts are going into that."

Mr Cotton had intended to surf in Portugal for a couple of months. His family were back home in Braunton, Devon, when they found out about his accident.

His wife, Katie, said: "My main concern was that he was going to be OK to be back in the water again. For him, not being able to surf again would be the worst case scenario."

His accident and recovery was captured on video by professional camera crews watching on. It has since been viewed thousands of times.

He is credited with having surfed the world's biggest wave at Praia do Norte near Nazare.