Maui waves may be world's largest
By Christie Wilson
Advertiser Neighbor Island Editor
Four of the five finalists for the Billabong XXL Award for biggest wave of the year occurred on a single day in January at the legendary Jaws break on Maui's north shore.
Eric Aeder • Special to The Advertiser
Maui's Pete Cabrinha, Archie Kalepa and Ian Walsh, along with Danilo Couto of O'ahu, surfed giant waves Jan. 10 at the Pe'ahi surf spot. Kalepa, 40, said clean swells were rolling in with 60-foot faces.
Pete Cabrinha raced down this wave at Maui's legendary Jaws break on Jan. 10. This ride, on a day when swells were said to be rolling in with 60-foot faces, is one of five entered in the annual Billabong XXL Biggest Wave Award contest — which awards a minimum $60,000 prize.
"It was probably one of the top three best times in the last five to seven years," he said. "It was an exceptional day."
Just how big the waves were will be determined by a panel of expert judges analyzing photographic evidence of the rides. Winners will be announced April 16 at the Grove Theater in Anaheim, Calif.
Last year, O'ahu surfer Makua Rothman won $66,000 for riding a 66-foot blue monster at Jaws.
Because of the size and speed of the powerful waves, surfers must be towed into the swells. Kalepa's partner on Jan. 10, operating a Yamaha Wave Runner, was Buzzy Kerbox, another well-known big-wave surfer.
Kalepa said there were a number of surfers in the water scoping out the action but no one had ventured into the swells.
"We pulled up and we were looking at it and watching for 20 minutes, and I finally told Buzzy, 'Throw me the rope. If I watch any longer I'm not going to go,' " Kalepa said. "It broke the ice and after about three waves everyone started surfing."
Kalepa, a county water safety supervisor and high-surf rescue specialist, still speaks with awe of that day.
"It was the kind of day that when you went home you couldn't sleep at night, your palms were all sweaty. It was an adrenalin day."
Cabrinha, 42, one of the pioneers of tow-in surfing at the Jaws/Pe'ahi break, said he thinks the Maui surf spot is the best big-wave site in the world because of its consistency and other factors.
He recalled a "circus atmosphere" on Jan. 10, with about 40 teams of surfers and tow-in partners in the water. Cabrinha's nominated ride was the first wave he caught that day, trying out a new board for the first time.
"All the elements came together," he said.
There were 130 entries in the annual competition. Walsh, 20, is a pro surfer from Pa'ia, Maui, who was surfing the break at its peak for the first time. Couto, 29, is a Brazilian-born surfer who lives on O'ahu.
The fifth finalist announced Friday for this year's contest is Greg Long, 20, of San Clemente, Calif., surfing at Cortes Bank in the open ocean 105 miles west of San Diego.
Each foot in wave height is worth $1,000 to the winner, with a minimum prize of $60,000. The photographer who captured the best shot of the winning ride will receive $5,000.
The Billabong XXL Award is part of the 2004 Global Big Wave Awards contest, sponsored by Monster Energy Drink. Lesser prizes of $5,000 will be awarded for the Surfline.com/Jay Moriarity Best Overall Performance, Monster Tube of the Year and Monster Biggest Paddle-in Award, for surfers who used arm power to paddle into big waves.
No Hawai'i surfers or surf spots were finalists in the monster tube or paddle-in categories, which featured waves in Tasmania, Tahiti, South Africa and California.
Photographs of the nominated rides can be viewed at the Web site www.BillabongXXL.com. The awards ceremony can be seen live on April 16 on the Web site.
Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.
