MMA legend BJ Penn has claimed that he survived a bizarre and terrifying accident at a wave pool last year.
Penn shared the story on Instagram along with photos showing injuries he says were sustained in the accident, adding that he “thought [he] was going to die.”
According to Penn, he was sucked into the “wave pool engine room” (likely the water reservoir) after waiting near the back of the pool. “It felt like I was in the movie SAW or Final destination. The room would fill up with water to the top and I would hold my breath and then it would push the water out to make the wave and it was really rough inside there,” Penn said in the post.
In addition to the scrapes and bruises seen in the photos, Penn says he also sustained facial fractures and a sinus infection and had to take antibiotics for three weeks following the incident.
Thankfully, Penn knew that he could rely on other people to help him out, and he survived the terrifying ordeal. “While I was in the wave pool engine room I knew that one of my friends outside from big island is a legendary surfer and I knew he would come in there to rescue me so I stayed calm,” he wrote in the post.
Penn deliberately declined to share the name of the wave pool location or the names of anyone else involved in the incident, adding that he wouldn’t be suing anyone in connection with what happened.
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