When the average person thinks of surfing they picture Hawaii in their head and the surf spots on Oahu.  These same average people when they hear Maui, they think of Hawaiian vacations. But Maui also has one of the best big wave surf spot called JAWS.  The big wave Jaws, is located on the North Shore of the island Maui and it the same wave where tow surfing was perfected since you cannot access this wave by paddling out. For newbie surfers, this wave was made famous by Laird Hamilton and he is often seen online in surfing photos of Jaws taming the beast and perfecting tow surfing techniques.

Big wave surfing is not for perfecting tight arc turns but for those people who want to tame the giant waves that the ocean creates. Jaws swells are influenced by storms as far away as Alaska so each set is different and has to be taken very seriously. Jaws waves are deadly if you drop at the wrong time or you wipe out and have not conditioned your lungs and mind to be calm during the ensuing “rinse cycle” of your life. There are few surfers in the world that have the ability to take on big wave surfing so it is an elite club but one that does not have longevity. Each year we hear of surfers who underestimated the wave or overestimated their ability and have died. more…