Today Jaws has become something of a legend. It has become a proving ground for big wave surfers from around the globe. In the last couple of winters we have seen the changing of the guard at Jaws. The days of tow-in surfing are basically over and paddle surfing is now the name of the game. Even the name of the spot has evolved where today people like to refer to it by its Hawaiian name Peahi rather then as “Jaws.”
My first time standup paddling at Peahi was in the spring of 2008. I went up there alone one late afternoon in April by jet ski with my 11’4” stand up paddle gun. I caught two waves. Neither one was incredibly special, or incredibly big, but it was still very thrilling. At that point I just wanted to see if it was even possible to paddle into a wave there. Clearly it was.
Some winters are better than others for riding Peahi. There are years where we only get one or two days big enough for the waves to break at Peahi and others with several big swells like this winter has been. On a good swell with no wind you will now see upwards of fifty surfers in the water. It’s quite a scene, with jet skis and boats and helicopters and photographers and guys flying in from all over the world to test their skills in Maui’s giant surf. The billabong XXL has also added to the hype with people wanting to get their picture taken on one of the world’s largest surf-able waves.
“ I have a thing with crowds…on the water or off. If I had to stand in line for food I would probably starve to death. This is certainly one of the reasons I was so drawn to windsurfing as a kid and later to SUP…both sports free you up from the crowd ”
