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    The wipeout: It's rarely fun. It's sometimes painful. In rare instances, it can be deadly. But most times, if you're the victim, you take a deep breath, salve your bruised ego and paddle right back out for another wave.

    Here, a surfer goes over the falls in spectacular fashion at Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu.

    Click through to see more cringe-worthy wipeouts.

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    Teahupoo, Tahiti, is regarded by most surfers as the world's heaviest wave. It's lip is thick and powerful, and it plunges over a shallow coral reef. It's not the kind of place you want to wipe out.

    And yet Tony Brooks of Australia did just that -- in grand style -- during the Billabong Pro in May 2006.

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    Bodyboarders wipe out, too. This wipeout on the North Shore of Oahu couldn't have ended well.

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    Rochelle Ballard wipes out during the Roxy Fiji Surf Jam at Cloudbreak, Tavarua, Fiji. You have to admire her positioning: She almost looks to be bodysurfing the wave.

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    This bodyboarder had to be feeling the spine-twisting effects of this wipeout in Hawaii for days.

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    A wipeout at Byron Bay, Australia: Butt down. Legs out. It's not pretty, but it works. 

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    Wiping out when you're alone on a big wave is bad enough, but when you're dropping in at Waimea Bay with half a dozen others? Dangerous.

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    Makua Rothman had a long way to fall in this wipeout during the O'Neill World Cup at Sunset Beach in late 2005.

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    Oahu's Pipeline is infamous for its razor-sharp reef. This guy is peering into the abyss with his arm out, no doubt fearing possible impact.

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    This relatively small wave made for an impressive little wipeout.

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    This surfer took a big spill at Pipeline -- mere yards from a surf photographer.

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    Mark Occhilupo transformed into a red-and-purple missile during the Mountain Dew Pipeline Masters in December 1999.

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    Another human missile, this surfer shot off his board at Scotts Head on the New South Wales coast of Australia.

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    This surfer looked to be planning his entry point as he plunged head-first toward Pipeline's reef.

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    Next: 10 Amazing Survival Stories from Mount Everest

    Kai Otton of Sydney, Australia, had a long way to drop in this 2011 wipeout at Teahupoo, Fiji, during the Billabong Pro Tahiti.

    Amazingly, despite the fall, Otton went on to score a perfect 10 during the heat, which should inspire anyone who wipes out -- in surfing, or in life.