SANTA CRUZ >> The father of a budding Santa Cruz pro surfer is hospitalized after he slammed against a cliff in windy head-high south swell off Lighthouse Point on Saturday afternoon, according to video at Surfline.com and his family.

Brian Hart, 53, was swept by a breaking wave about 1:50 p.m. His son, Santiago Hart, 15, and pro surfer Nat Young said it was the worst surfing injury in recent memory at the iconic break.

About a dozen riders packed Steamer Lane on Saturday afternoon in confined conditions that pushed surfers close to the cliffs. As a nearby surfer dropped in on a set wave, Brian Hart is shown withdrawing and pulling his board back in a Surfline.com archive video shortly before 2 p.m. and the official dispatch a few minutes later. Immediately after Hart was hurt, everyone paddled rapidly toward the distressed surfer and converged a few feet from the rock wall, placing him on a board they would use as a gurney to hoist him up the cliff.

“The whitewater annihilated him into the cliff,” Hart’s wife, Veronica, said on Monday. She said her husband, who was flown from Dominican Hospital to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, was improving thanks to the quick response by the surfers on Saturday afternoon.

Her husband had a “huge gash in his head” but no skull fractures, Veronica Hart said. He was conscious by the time he was taken to Dominican and was gaining feeling in his upper body Monday, she said.

Brian Hart had multiple fractured vertebrae: “Two of them, we’re keeping an eye on,” Veronica Hart said. The Harts live in Santa Cruz and Brian Hart is a hardwood floor contractor whose business is the sole source of family income, she said.

TRAINED

Santiago, who was trained in CPR by his sponsor, Volcom, had just gotten out of the water when his mother, Veronica, alerted him that his father needed help and he rushed to initiate resuscitation.

“I just never have seen anyone like that with no life in them,” Santiago said. “He had no color in his face. He had no heartbeat, no pulse. He wasn’t breathing.”

After administering CPR, Brian Hart’s face started to regain its normal color, Santiago said.

By Monday afternoon, Hart was able to communicate by blinking his eyes to signal letters and statements. He also had sensation as far down as his stomach. His hands and feet were numb, Veronica Hart said.

“He started spelling something we couldn’t figure out at first,” Veronica Hart said. “He was just saying thank you to Santi. ‘Thank you for saving my life.’”

Brian Hart has been surfing since he was 13 and is in good physical health, she said.

“So I’m hopeful,” Veronica Hart said.

GLOBAL RESPONSE

The international surf community, including surfers in Hawaii, a San Diego surfboard shaper, Santa Cruz standouts and supporters donated $23,455 by Monday afternoon on gofundme.com to help Brian Hart recover from injuries that have not been officially confirmed.

Santiago posted on Instagram updates about his father’s progress on Sunday afternoon.

“Literally every penny helps,” Santiago wrote. “My dad is such a big part of my life and it’s extremely hard to see him in such a weak state, fighting to live.”

Veronica said the family has been flooded with support from the surf community.

“We ask people just to keep Brian in their prayers because he has a long road to recovery ahead,” Veronica Hart said.

DANGERS

A south swell, which was rolling Saturday, compels riders to take off deep and close to the cliff at high tide, said Young, a pro surfer and Steamer Lane regular.

“That’s when it’s the most dangerous,” Young said. “When there’s a south swell and it’s high tide, it comes in at an angle. The Lane’s the most dangerous when it isn’t that big.”

Young was not surfing Steamer Lane on Saturday.

“When the waves are big, you won’t hit the cliff,” Young said. “I’ve hit the cliff. It happened when I was 13. I’ve definitely seen a few people I know hit the cliff and have some serious injuries, but this might be the worst I’ve heard about there. Santi’s dad is definitely an above-average surfer. It just goes to show you it can happen to anybody out there.”

Santiago was surprised at the extent of his father’s injuries.

“I’ve surfed the Lane almost every day of my life and I’ve never seen anybody hit the cliff and come out with that many injuries,” Santiago said. “I’ve seen hundreds of people hit the cliff. I’d say 90 percent of them are totally fine.”

Santa Cruz Fire Chief Jim Frawley, who did not immediately have information about Saturday’s rescue, said “anything can happen in the ocean.

“You’ve got a really experienced waterman and he unfortunately got hurt,” Frawley said. “Anything can happen in the ocean.”