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Maui's Jaws - Surfing Large

Every winter, when the huge Northwest swells roll into Maui's North Shore, a new breed of audacious watermen tackle the world's largest ridable waves at a break appropriately called "Jaws".

Discovered by Laird Hamilton and his crew in the mid-eighties, and named for its huge gaping barrels, Jaws is the ultimate testing ground of surfer and surf gear. The waves here are so enormous that they're impossible to paddle into - the fastest paddlers can't generate enough speed to make their way down the wave's face.

This problem has been overcome by using Jet Skis to pull the surfer into the waves. Once the surfer has caught the wave, he releases the tow handle, and the fun begins! Meanwhile, the Jet Ski follows the surfer's progress on the outside of the wave, ready to pick him up when the ride is over.

Of course, picking up the surfer isn't as easy as it sounds - the white water can be over forty feet high, with overwhelming force, and every major Jaws session features a couple of Jet Skis tumbled up on the rocks at the foot of the cliff fronting the break - don't ask what happens to the poor mortals on the skis!

Jaws is truly the ultimate test for big wave surfers, and very exciting to watch from the safety of the top of the cliff!

The photos below were shot by Steve Kornreich, a dedicated Maui photographer who's out on his Wave Runner every time Jaws goes off to record the action. Steve can be reached at Steve@Kuau.com.

(Click on the images to pop up a larger version)

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