Imagine being 19 and after surfing for only five years (mostly in Sidmouth – it’s so bad you’ve never heard of it!) deciding to fly to Maui to paddle out at Pe’ahi and ride it! An hour before the world’s best big wave surfers contested this year’s Pe’ahi Challenge last Sunday a young Devon lad called Adam Amin did exactly that.
Words by Toby Foster. Photos Glenn Tremble.
Rewind a week and you’d have found Adam riding his bike out to the headland that overlooks Jaws to work out where the ‘beach’ is so he could paddle out. The following day he did exactly that and paddled into the world’s most forbidding take-off zone – two hours of trying to paddle into these giant waves he got caught on the inside and after taking a couple of sets on the head managed to crawl up the beach to safety. For most of us that would have been enough – not Adam.
On the morning of the Pe’ahi Challenge Adam heads down to Maliko Gulch (you’ll have seen the pros launching here in countless videos) and asks the guys getting ready if he can get a lift – the answers “Sorry Adam but there’s no room on any of the boats heading out to Peahi you’ll have to watch the action form the cliff.” do not deter him and undaunted he decides to head out through the closeout sets and paddle the 3.8 miles to Jaws. About an hour into the paddle and a friendly waterman (Greg Long no less) takes pity on Adam and gives him a lift. After about 10 minutes there are 6 guys out; 5 big wave chargers and Adam. I’ll let Adam describe what happened next…
“We all spotted a huge wave in the distance and we all paddled for the horizon and I saw my opportunity to prove that I can surf Jaws so I turned around while all the others were paddling over the wave and caught this monster. I caught it and rode down what seemed like a liquid mountain. I got to the bottom and looked up…. there towering above me was a face this sized of a two-storey house. When I looked back it felt like I was going to make it but there was a stretch of white water blocking my way and I got taken out – it felt like the ocean collapsed on me. I held my breath and took the worst beating I’ve ever had and finally made it to the surface. I then noticed a huge set coming towards me and I got pounded again and again by these massively powerful waves. I was knackered and drifting very close to rocks until suddenly a jet ski rider picked me up and took me to safety. What a legend, he took me to the channel and the contest started. I watched the entire event from the channel for five hours while talking to all of my heroes of the sport in one place! I was in heaven!”
Think about this for a minute – I’ve surfed with Adam and he’s good but being good and thinking you can just fly over to Maui and paddle into Pe’ahi are two very different things. In extreme sports there are people who change the playing field, take for instance Göran Kropp a Swedish climber who cycled to Everest and climbed it without oxygen or support and then cycled home again or Jeff Clark surfing Mavericks alone for 15 years. These guys redefined what could be done and I truly believe this is what Adam has done.
This could be a step-change in big wave surfing – the established route to surfing these waves used to be decades of waterman preparation, carrying boulders in crystal clear water on the seabed, holding your breath for five minutes and looking deep into your soul for the truth of the universe. Here’s a young kid who hasn’t grown up on Maui but has dragged himself up on a diet of south coast mush and just casually paddled out into THE arena of big wave surfing and simply caught a wave! Could he have done it better or safer … of course, but Adam isn’t rich, doesn’t have a support network of sponsors or the benefit of a childhood of Hawaiian surfing behind him – all he has is determination, focus and a pair of balls the size of Devon! Last month you could have rented a board from him on Saunton beach – now he’s establishing himself as a big wave contender – inspirational?
Super Sunday wasn’t all about Pe’Ahi, La Vaca Gigante (literally Big Cow) was going off in Spain. Tom Butler made the final and nailed 2nd place in the event. Sharpy caught up with him somewhere in the middle of Spain. (Tom’s new edit will also be dropping on carvemag later today).
What the hell you doing in Spain?
I got the call Wednesday evening from Jesus, the La Vaca big wave event organiser, he’s a pro poker player during the day, he’s the guy that set up the comp. It’s not been run for four years as conditions haven’t been right. It went off big style this year, 15-18 foot or so. It took us two days to drive down from Ireland, got here 5am Saturday morning. Split the drive with my manager Matt.
We met the guys Saturday lunchtime and had a warm up surf in a few shifty ten-footers. Good to get some time out there.
Come the comp day I was in heat four so got plenty of time to prepare and figure out how the place works.
First time there?
Yes, so was good to get in before the event. It’s a peak about a km out to sea and the right is the main wave. It’s a bit like El Buey, a big drop then you get a section to do a few turns. If you go left you’re going towards the rocks, you’ve got to kick out and get back out real fast. I got pretty close to the rocks during the final, it’s pretty sketchy. There’s a lot of water moving out there too. It’s on a slab and changes a lot with the tide.
Was a bit hard to figure out what was going on from the Spanish webcast?
Yeah a pity the webcast was only in Spanish but they plan to make it better next year so it’s easier for people around the world to tune in. The police reckoned there were 12,000 people lining the cliffs. Pretty mental.
How was the sharp end of the event?
I went from the second semi straight into the final, so was in the channel for half an hour with no refreshments before going straight back in to it. It’s a long paddle so no point coming back in. My first wave was a huge left, biggest wave of the final, I’ve not seen it yet but it felt solid, came off the bottom and it ran loads. I got smashed on the end section as I tried to pull in. Then I got nailed by the next four waves in the set. The ski finally got to me and gave me a lift back to the keyhole and Matt was there wading in his jeans with my spare 10’6”. Then I had to make the paddle back out through the shorebreak and get a lift near to the peak. Only one wave was caught in the last ten minutes of the final so I didn’t miss many.
Who won?
Congrats to Alex Zirke from the Canaries, from Tenerife, he won the thing.
What’s next?
Heading down to Nazaré right now, it’s looking massive for the week. It’s going to be huge and good winds so straight into it.
Just what you want after driving through the night!
Got to get it while the going’s good haven’t you Sharpy! We’re filming a big wave web series through the winter so it’s all good. Been a good season so far. How was Jaws??? Mental. Amazing too watch the production level live. If something goes wrong it goes wrong in front of the world. Guys were charging so hard.
Local Hawaiian Billy Kemper (HAW) has emerged victorious on a monumental day for the surfing world with the planet’s best big wave riders taking on unprecedented wave heights at Pe’ahi for the maiden World Surf League (WSL) Big Wave Tour (BWT) competition held on the island of Maui.
Hailing from the nearby Maui town of Ho’okipa, near the amphitheater-esque cliffs of the infamous big wave venue at ‘Jaws,’ Kemper has beat out an international field of big wave gladiators to claim the crown as Pe’ahi Challenge champion on a day that saw 40’-to-50’ foot waves contested with no shortage of action, carnage and high drama.
Catching the first wave of the event, the new BWT Rankings Leader never looked back and earned great rides throughout the day, bettering his single-wave scores with each, successive round. The 25-year-old put up a highlight reel of impressive surfing – earning an 8.00 (out of a possible 10) in the Final, which, with the BWT format, equivalates to a 16.00 (out of a possible 20) as a surfer’s top score is scored twice. Backing it up with a 6.77, the Maui native came away with a historic win.
“This is a dream come true,” Kemper said. “We’ve been talking about this moment for years and to have a paddle event in my backyard at, to me, one of the most premier, outstanding waves in the world, means everything to me. I just want to dedicate to this my brother. To paddle Pe’ahi has been a dream of mine for a very long time and to be out there with some of my favorite surfers and best friend – I’m just speechless.”
With the treacherous swell in the water, each of the surfers and WSL water-safety staff kept a close watch on all involved in the event, with several dramatic wipeouts recorded on the live broadcast.
“We passed the word talking out there and I told the boys we can always surf another big day at Jaws but we can never replace each other,” Kemper said. “The main thing is at the end of the day to come back our families. I’m there for everyone and they’re all there for me.
It’s a feeling you can’t reproduce or explain it to people. Just a feeling of breaking through a fear factor where it’s all adrenaline. I’m over the moon – I’m just happy to be sitting here doing this interview.”
Earning runner-up and also a Pe’ahi ‘grom’, Albee Layer (HAW), 24, showcased his affinity for the barrel – earning a standup tube ride that was rewarded with a 7.60. Riding an 8’8”, the shortest equipment in the event, Layer looked unstoppable heading into the Final.
“I was just trying not to psych myself out so I hung out with a lot of friends,” Layer said of his pre-event routine. “My shaper, Sean Ordonez, just keeps going smaller and smaller with my boards and it keeps working better and better for me. I’m just really trying to get in the barrel – I’m not trying to get the biggest wave. That’s the wave I’m always looking for – the barrel. They’re a little harder to find but eventually you’ll get one.”
Earning a third-place, a true legend of the big wave sport, Greg Long (USA) secured the highest single-scoring wave of a 9.00 alongside Shaun Walsh (HAW), during his Round 2 heat – pulling a critical drop and locking into a massive barrel that he was unable to come out of. The 32-year-old Californian knows this lineup all too well and couldn’t believe the waves that were coming in.
“It was probably one of, if not the best waves of my life even though I didn’t make it,” Long said. “It’s been a dream of mine to catch one of these barrels and to see that vision. It’s the perfect direction to do it and get the waves from way out the back. Paddling in it looks impossible to make it all the way to the channel but then you get around that first section coming from behind and you’re set. I was lucky in that heat with the wind settling down a bit and a couple multiple wave sets to clean it up and then that wave came through – just was out the back and got the greenlight to catch it.”
Universally-respected big wave surfer, Ian Walsh (HAW) had an incredible day at Pe’ahi, winning his Round 1 heat and advancing to the Final behind Albee Layer (HAW) in the Semifinals. Walsh also had one of the heaviest wipeouts of the day, but continued to charge through nonetheless.
“There was just a chandelier coming down and it hit my back shoulder and feel like I didn’t penetrate the water at all – just started spinning on the face then a long drop over the falls,” Walsh said. “It takes a lot longer than normal days of surfing when you go over the falls here, so you have a lot of time to think about your mistake. Then it’s really violent, everything is flying everywhere and you’re trying to feel the tension on your leash to make sure the board is not close to you. Just a lot going on – but you’re really just focused on holding your breath and trying to get back to the surface.”
Making his maiden voyage to the infamous break at Pe’ahi, Gabriel Villaran (PER) showed his prowess in taking on the world’s best, including a stacked local lineup, and making a run to the Final – topping Shane Dorian (USA) in the Final. Earning his spot to the Final with a buzzer beater, the Peruvian was elated coming out of his Semifinal heat.
“It feels amazing because this wave is next level,” Villaran said. “The wind is really challenging and is making the drop really hard. It’s my first here so to get a few waves and get a little barrel at the beginning so I’m really happy. The guys out here, especially the locals, are really good and I’m just trying to figure it out. I’m enjoying the day and just really an epic day – to make the final is a great opportunity for me.”
For more go to www.worldsurfleague.com. The window for the BWT Northern Hemisphere began on October 12, 2015 and extends through February 28, 2016 with three more contests scheduled including: Oregon Challenge at Nelscott Reef, Lincoln City, Oregon; Punta Galea Challenge, Punta Galea, Basque County, Spain; and Todos Santos Challenge, Todos Santos, Baja California, México.
PE’AHI CHALLENGE FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Billy Kemper (HAW) 22.77
2 – Albee Layer (HAW) 19.33
3 – Greg Long (USA) 16.26
4 – Ian Walsh (HAW) 1.00
5 – Gabriel Villaran (PER) 0.80
6 – Shane Dorian (HAW) 0.00
PE’AHI CHALLENGE SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Greg Long (USA) 21.53, Billy Kemper (HAW) 16.66, Gabriel Villaran (PER) 12.03, Trevor Carlson (HAW) 11.04, Shaun Walsh (HAW) 8.66, Carlos Burle (BRA) 3.34
SF 2: Albee Layer (HAW) 23.60, Ian Walsh (HAW) 19.79, Shane Dorian (HAW) 17.67, Mark Healey (HAW) 14.09, Nic Lamb (USA) 10.07, Kai Lenny (HAW) 9.56
PE’AHI CHALLENGE ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Billy Kemper (HAW) 21.07, Gabriel Villaran (PER) 18.17, Carlos Burle (BRA) 17.27, Nic Vaughan (USA) 16.70, David Wassel (HAW) 8.33, Nathan Fletcher (USA) 6.00
Heat 2: Greg Long (USA) 24.50, Shaun Walsh (HAW) 23.83, Trevor Carlson (HAW) 14.74, Aaron Gold (HAW) 6.00, Makuakai
Heat 3: Albee Layer (HAW) 11.93, Nic Lamb (USA) 10.34, Mark Healey (HAW) 9.63, Yuri Soledade (HAW) 9.27, Tyler Larronde (HAW) 7.61, Grant Baker (ZAF) 5.34
Heat 4: Ian Walsch (HAW) 21.67, Kai Lenny (HAW) 19.21, Shane Dorian (HAW) 18.17, Natxo Gonzalez (EUK) 4.01, Koa Rothman (HAW) 1.20, Anthony Tashnick (USA) 0.20
2015 WSL BIG WAVE TOUR TOP 5 (after two events):
Billy Kemper (HAW) 15,625
Makuakai Rothman (HAW) 13,156
Albee Layer (HAW) 13,020
Greg Long (USA) 10,850
Nic Lamb (USA) 10,565
The Eddie invite list is here! Laid out below. Any chance of squeezing a European in there, even as an alternate, next season? There’s kind of a decent big wave scene happening this side of the pond now…
Quiksilver and Hawaii’s Aikau Family are pleased to announce the official Invitees and Alternates for the 31st Annual Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau at Waimea Bay, on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. The official Opening celebration with the Aikau Family and this year’s invited contestants will be held on Thursday, December 3rd, 3pm, at Waimea Bay.
The Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau is a one-day big wave riding event with strict wave height requirements; it will only take place when waves meet or exceed the Hawaiian 20-foot minimum (wave face heights of approximately 40 feet). This was the threshold at which Eddie enjoyed to ride the Bay. The event has a three-month holding period that will begin December 1, 2015, and run through February 29, 2016.
“The Eddie” is the original big wave riding event and stands as the measure for every big wave event that exists in the world today. It honors Hawaiian hero Eddie Aikau, whose respect of the ocean, concern for the safety of all who entered it on his watch as lifeguard of Waimea Bay, and the way with which he rode Waimea Bay on its most giant and memorable days.
On the occasion of this year’s Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau, the exhibition “The Big Wave Riders of Hawaii” will make a stop in Honolulu on December 2nd, 2015 6pm-9pm, at the Quiksilver Boardriders Club, 2330 Kalakaua Avenue. Dedicated to the intriguing parallels that connect the histories of surfing and photography, the exhibition will showcase a handpicked selection of collodion plate portraits by Bernard Testemale. More information on: www.quiksilver.com
As part of its ongoing commitment to perpetuating safety at the Eddie – a hallmark of Aikau’s life, Quiksilver is delighted to announce that for the first time ever, itsnew Inflatable Ocean Safety (IOS) vest will be made available to all contestants in the 2016 edition. Developed in collaboration with Aqua Lung, a global leader in personal aquatic equipment for professional and recreational use, the QUIKSILVER X AQUA LUNG IOS vest is the culmination of two year’s development and represents the cutting edge of big wave surfing safety technology. Worn over the top of any type of surf equipment (wetsuit or lycra etc.), the IOS is a reinforced neoprene inflatable vest designed to rapidly and safely bring the wearer to the surface in a heavy hold-down situation.
The Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau has only been held a total of 8 times, most recently on December 9, 2009, won by California’s Greg Long.
When the contest happens, it can be viewed via a live webcast on the event’s official website.
The 2015/2016 Invitees are: (listed by first name alphabetical order)
Aaron Gold
Albee Layer
Bruce Irons
Clyde Aikau
Dave Wassel
Garrett McNamara
Grant Baker
Greg Long
Ian Walsh
Jamie Mitchell
Jamie O’Brien
Jeremy Flores
John John Florence
Kala Alexander
Kelly Slater
Kohl Christensen
Makua Rothman
Mark Healey
Nathan Fletcher
Noah Johnson
Peter Mel
Ramon Navarro
Reef McIntosh
Ross Clarke-Jones
Shane Dorian
Sunny Garcia
Takayuki Wakita
Tom Carroll
Official Alternates (in seeding order):
Mason Ho (Aikau Pick)
Danilo Couto
Mark Matthews
Koa Rothman
Ben Wilkinson
Jamie Sterling
Billy Kemper
Shawn Dollar
Carlos Burle
Kealii Mamala
Gabriel Villaran
Michael Ho
Kai Lenny
Kahea Hart
Nathan Florence
Damien Hobgood
Kalani Chapman
Ryan Hipwood
Danny Fuller
Nic Lamb
Anthony Tashnick
Rusty Long
Derek Dunfee
Brock Little
Event past winners:
1984/1985: Denton Miyamura (Haw)
1986/1987: Clyde Aikau (Haw)
1989/1990: Keone Downing (Haw)
1998/1999: Noah Johnson (Haw)
2000/2001: Ross Clarke-Jones (Aus)
2004/2005: Bruce Irons (Haw)
2001/2002: Kelly Slater (USA)
2009/2010: Greg Long (USA)
Winters featuring a strong El Nino event are hard to call for the Atlantic. While weather boffins know it can lead to huge surf in the Pacific, think the legendary Outside Log Cabins session in 1998, this side it’s harder to know how the winter will shape up. Our Met Office thinks wet and stormy early winter going cold and dry for the back half. The ‘Little Boy’ is certainly leading to wonky weather all over the shop with typhoons off Arabia and drought in South Africa.
So far our autumn started slow then had a late surge at the back end of October/early November which got us all our fill and got the skis, guns and ropes dusted off for the hellmen … Nazare and Mullaghmore are officially open for the season.
The Atlantic is conveyor belt mode at the moment with an endless procession of storms so hopefully this will continue and we can get into the list of potential named storms. However it plays out we’ll be out there wearing all the coats we own to bring you a flavour from the front line. Suffice to say it’s going to be interesting. And it’s awesome that the big wave scene is now legitimate in Europe at last.
We get sent an awful lot of stuff for consideration to get a run here. This is one of those clips that was a no brainer. Life’s all about dreaming big.
My best mate James Lowe and I made this short documentary together, it’s about his dreams of surfing the best waves in the world and mine of being a film maker. It showcases some of his best waves that have been documented from Jaws to Dungeons, with Sunset and bayview featuring in the mix. @shotboet@jameslowe783
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