Jaws was running at 35-40 feet yesterday, which was down from the nearly 50 footers earlier in the week. Out here on Hawaii, they measure wave heights from the back face of the wave, so you can add another 6-8 ft. for the front face wave height.
To reach this mecca of big wave surfing, you must drive about a mile down a rough dirt road, which ends abruptly at an 80 foot pali dropping straight down to the Pacific. You can back your vehicle up to the cliffs and take in the action. There were about 60 or so "spectators" from around the globe watching the action yesterday. One couple was from Australia.
These big wave guys are insane. Jet skis pull them out to a set of incoming waves. A helicopter is hovering around just in case things go bad. To me, it appears as though a dark, giant mountain ridge suddenly rises from the ocean with a jet ski riding up its face pulling a surfer. The jet ski crosses over the rise and leaves quickly as the wave starts to crest. As the surfer descends the wave, he appears to be a downhill snow skier riding down the mountain ridge. The mountain ridge then appears to blow up behind him with a complete white out, and then the surfer re-appears as if by magic.
My favorite part is watching the wake the surfer cuts into these mammoth waves on their descent.
No thanks, I'll stick to body surfing the 5 and 6 footers.
Don't miss the video below!
Don't miss the video below!
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| The waves at Jaws are spectacularly beautiful. |
