IN THE LINE UP
Catching waves…
“It’s not long until the somewhat awkward art of assembling and rigging kit either in or underwater near the ski commences and once that final knot is tied you water start into a whole new dimension. Watching your friends drop into waves the size of buildings from the safety of the channel is like a cartoon – as the rider drops in, it looks like they shrink! It’s all quite uncanny and the mind does not easily accept what one sees. It’s only when you find yourself a bomb and drop in that the scale is understood. Racing at full clip you barely keep up with the wave and as it hits the reef shelf the wave simply grows and grows until the inevitable. The sound of this wave breaking is beyond words and shakes you to your core no matter what. It’s always a huge relief to kick out to safety and then the lingering sense of anticipation for the next ride.
Robby Naish has a long history with the wave and several historical rides. His preparation is also apparent. Naish draws great lines out there and it looks like his true style comes shining through on those huge walls as the paparazzi eats up every wave he rides.”
THE FEELING
“It’s so amazing just to be out there – such a huge convergence of forces in what is the most exposed portion of Maui’s coast in terms of NW swell and that fierce wind from the East. It has been almost 25 years of heading up there for me but it is also important to keep perspectives in focus. There have been a great number of fantastic giant waves ridden over those years. It’s not anything but trying to find the biggest wave that I can and to ride it with a sense of understanding. Lining it up not too deep, but just right so I can fade into it a little and punch that ever so important bottom turn. That’s my line; I don’t have anything on my mind except enjoying the ride.”
JASON POLAKOW
“Usually the night before I coordinate with my friends on who’s going up. The last few swells we have rented a boat to take gear and food up to Jaws as it’s way easier. The boat meets us near my house in ‘Sprecks’ (Spreckelsville) and we all load up usually around 8:30 to 9am. We still rig up on the ski but all the gear is on the boat. I drive the ski up from ‘Sprecks’ and time it so when the boat is going past ‘Sprecks’ I can rendezvous with it and all head up together.
Most days now there are 30 to 40 paddle surfers in the line-up when we arrive. On the last swell I was the first to try to windsurf. The wind was ridiculously light but I tried. I was basically sitting in the middle of all the surfers. I figured it would be best to get out early as once that first wave is caught by a windsurfer, ten more guys and five kiters will be on it straight away. I remember the days when we sailed Jaws by ourselves. Just a few windsurfers in board shorts; those days are definitely gone!
I know most of the guys in the line-up so I do pay respect when a paddle surfer is dropping in and I get out of the way, however if it’s my turn and I have given way a few times I will definitely go. Kitesurfers are a problem for windsurfers out there for sure. The last few swells in 2016 the wind has been light and we cannot get on the plane at all but they can. They fly past us and get the sets from outside every time! It really pisses me off when I see the same guy nail a set wave every time. Once I see the kiters taking all the waves and the windsurfers having to constantly pull off the wave, I just drop in every time I feel it’s my turn. People on my social media have said bad comments to me about dropping in on the kiters but they don’t see them flying past us after just having a sick wave then gybing 200 meters outside and catching another bomb set. I love watching some of the kiters sail Jaws, they are rad and are pushing the limits, but some of them have to let us have a wave once in a while when the wind is light.
It’s always nerve racking rigging up watching big bombs come through, especially seeing paddle surfers going over the falls, but you just have to block it out and get out there. I try and get a few conservative waves to start and then build my confidence as the day goes on. Personally, having a wipeout sometimes helps my confidence, especially if I don’t get held down too long where it scares me. On the last big swell up there I was rigging up on the ski to just get a few drone shots for my upcoming JP chronicle and Robby Naish yelled out to me to hurry up as he wanted someone to test the wind. So I just thought what the heck, ok I’m going to go! The wind was so light Robby Swift had to Jet Ski me into position. I kept telling Robby to go deeper and I jumped in. Then like 30 seconds later the set of the day came through and all the paddle surfers paddled past me and out to sea. I was on my own with no wind and I was up to my knees in water. The first wave and second wave I just got over but the third was a 20 foot bomb and broke about 30 meters in front of me. I was mowed down without scoring a wave; what a way to kick off the day! I made it back to the boat and the first thing Kevin Pritchard said to me was “you are a crazy! *******”, sometimes you just have to go!”