It shouldn't happen to an 007.

Former action star Pierce Brosnan famously did many of his own stunts in the Ian Fleming series.

But maybe Brosnan - who  played 007 in four of the action series' films before turning over his role to Craig for 2006's Casino Royale - needed a stunt man as he came a cropper while paddling to shore on his surf board.

Body boarder: Pierce Brosnan enjoys stand-up paddle boarding in Hawaii...until he becomes a cropper

Going... : Brosnan topples off his board into the waters of Maui

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Hold onto to your hat: Brosnan manages to keep hold of his trendy cap

Quite why he was using a paddle is unknown, but the sporty star was knocked around in the surf by a rogue wave on the island of Maui.

Brosnan is in Maui ahead of the film festival where he will be honoured for his acting work and  his long-standing efforts to campaign for the environment.

Meanwhile, Brosnan is preparing for his musical debut in film Mamma Mia!  He plays Sam Carmichael in the film, one of three men rumoured to be the father of lead character  Amanda Seyfried, alongside Meryl Streep who plays her mother.

The Irish actor revealed he almost rejected the role because he feared looking silly in front of James Bond replacement Daniel Craig.

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Recovery position: Brosnan looks shaken but not stirred as he emerges from the surf

He admitted he was scared his all-singing and dancing role as Sam Carmichael in the 1970s ABBA-inspired film would be too far a departure from his days as the British spy.

He said: "I drew the drapes in my dressing room, looked in the mirror, and there was 007 - only he was getting ready to expose himself to possible ridicule by starring in a movie musical called Mamma Mia!

"One of my daydreams was that I'd be strutting across the parking lot in sequinned tights and a cape, and I would bump into Mr. Daniel Craig, looking very Bond-like. It never happened, I'm pleased to say.'

Brosnan, stars alongside Bridget Jones' star Colin Firth, Meryl Streep and actor Stellan Skarsgard in the hugely anticipated movie.

'Pierce sings brilliantly,' she says. 'He does a sexy Springsteen-style thing.'

From left, Stellan Skargaard, Pierce Brosnan as Sam Carmichael, Colin Firth and Amanda Seyfried in the musical romantic comedy 'Mamma Mia!'