my sponsors paid me to be at the right spot at the right time. thanks to the weather maps, my travel agent, my local Japanese friends, and my sponsors for making my job pretty easy. i just had to show up, wax my board, wait for the biggest wave, and make the drop. this wave was 10′ solid Hawaiian scale and i still think Chris Van Lennep was crazy to swim out with a fisheye lens on that day. but he’s the best in the world for a reason. it was so big and dangerous! i was riding my Mike Woo 7’0 and holding on for my life. thank you Surfing Magazine for publishing this 2 page spread. and thanks especially to the heavy locals for always sharing your waves with me. i love you guys!
shortly after this photo was taken, the government built a big harbor with tetrapods right in front of this spot. after that, the wave never was the same. you’ll never see a 10′ wave barrel like this ever again out there. kind of sad when i think about it..
