Kelly Slater found himself in the right place at the right time on Wednesday.

Photographer Chris Whitey’s wife and their son, Van, were swept off Kamehameha Highway in Oahu, Hawaii by a giant wave. Luckily, Slater was there to save them. Whitey took to Instagram to personally thank the 43-year-old pro surfer.

Slater responded to Whitey’s “thank you” in the comment section:

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Whitey detailed the situation, and by the sound of it things could’ve been much, much worse:

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Thankfully, Whitey’s family will be OK.