PEAHI, Maui — Renowned Maui waterman Archie Kalepa was injured yesterday during a monster surf session at Jaws off Maui's northeastern coast.

Kalepa, who also is the county's ocean safety supervisor, seriously injured his left knee when he was slammed by a 40-foot wave while tow-in surfing with partner Buzzy Kerbox.

"I was too deep, too far behind the peak, and there was no place for me to go," Kalepa said. "It broke in front of me and I tried to outrun it as much as I could, but the whitewater caught up with me."

He said 25 tow-in pairs were jostling for waves as high as 50 feet.

"It definitely was the biggest we've had in the last four years. There were a lot of new guys out there, and guys from back in the old days, when if we had five (personal watercraft) out there, that was a crowd," Kalepa said.