Laird Hamilton Slices Through Pier On Hurricane Waves, Then Rescues Man In High Surf

When a hurricane is hurling huge waves toward shore, you'd have to be very brave to grab a surfboard and paddle out. Of course, that's exactly what surfing legend Laird Hamilton did.

As Hurricane Marie churned the Pacific Ocean into powerful, 15-foot swells -- the Los Angeles Fire Department assisted in 115 "major rescues" on Tuesday alone -- Hamilton headed out on his stand-up paddleboard, making the massive waves look like child's play. As seen in the above video, Laird and a few other dudes even took it up a notch by navigating through the sketchy legs of the Malibu Pier, timing the fast-moving waves perfectly and shooting out the other side.

Hamilton -- who is 50 years old, by the way -- didn't stop there. The next day, when a fellow surfer got trapped in the strong surf, it was Laird (aka, surfing's Superman) to the rescue.

According to Bo Bridges (a surf photographer who seems to be at the right place at the right time a lot), when the trapped surfer got swept toward rocks and waved for help, "Laird grabbed his fins, swam out to him and brought him back in ."

Laird, you've always been a legend, but now you've just been upgraded to a hero.