Paulo Benedeti
		Little Surfer Boy Not even a brush with death could keep extreme sportsman Paulo Benedeti (Tony) from hanging ten

	Want to know where to find THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL’s Paulo Benedeti (Tony) on his days off? Try the beach. When he’s not expected to report at CBS Studios, the actor dons a wet suit, grabs his board and hits the surf. But first, he surfs the Internet to check on beach conditions. "Every day, I wake up and say, ‘Okay, do I have anything to do today?’ If the answer is no, I jump on-line and check out the waves and water temperature," he relates. Decisions, Decisions If the climate is too cool to ride the waves, heads for the mountain slopes for some snowboarding action. Southern California is one of the few places where surfing and skiing are both options, a fact that isn’t lost on this extreme-sports aficionado. "My goal is to surf and snowboard on the same day, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet," he says. "So far, I’ve managed to surf twice, snowboard twice and mountain bike twice in the same week." Risking Life & Limb Whether he’s thrill-seeking on the slopes or on the seashore, Benedeti admits he’s had a few dangerous scrapes that left him longing for more placid activities like golf or shuffleboard. Once, while surfing in Maui, a 25-foot wall of water took him on the ride of his life. When the massive wave crashed down, he thought he was a goner for sure. "I got swallowed and was tumbled around for three minutes," he says. "I just went in circles, holding my board as hard as possible, with my eyes wide open so that I could see the reef in case I hit it." Stuck underwater with his lungs aching for oxygen, Benedeti was tossed about in the surf like a load of laundry during the spin cycle. "I just kept thinking, ‘Stay calm. You’re about to run out of breath. You are about to black out,’" he recalls. "I got a quick gulp of air and then another wave crashed down and took me under for another three minutes." Live To Tell By the time a third huge wave swept over him, Benedeti managed to point his board in the direction of the shore and hang on for dear life. Fortunately, this time he was swept to safety and coasted onto the sand. "I think I sat there for about an hour thinking, ‘God, you’ve got the power — I just surf here,’" he jokes. While the experience shook him up, both literally and figuratively, it didn’t deter Benedeti from going back in the water. "It probably calmed me down a little bit," he admits. "Afterwards, I went to the ‘kiddie’ beach about a mile down the coast and hung out with all the boogie boarders."