PE’AHI: MY GIRL

WITH APOLOGIES TO MY WOFE AND DAUGHTERS
(BUT I KNOW THEY UNDERSTAND).

Pe’ahi is the name of a wave that breaks about a mile from my house in Maui. It’s also known as Jaws, but that’s just the media’s name for it. No matter what you call it, this is a rare spot. It has always been considered sacred, in the past by the ancient Hawaiians; in the present, by us. Most of the time if you looked out at Pe’ahi, you wouldn’t even know it was there. Only the largest swells cause it to break, and so we get to ride it only a handful of times every year. When Pe’ahi goes off, its faces can be 70 to 80 feet high.

The ability to surf this location at all resulted from our desire to catch waves that were considered unrideable because of their size and speed. Through that desire we developed tow surfing, the technique of using a Jet Ski to actually pull us into these waves. In 1994 that led us to Pe’ahi, which in Hawaiian means “the beacon” or “the calling.” When you live near it and you surf it, you know that its name is true: On the nights before a big day, you can hear it rumbling in the distance. And it calls you.

This wave definitely speaks to my soul. I’m drawn to it because I know that any experience I have out there is going to be one I’ll remember. Surfing it brings feelings of accomplishment, of fear, and of reverence for its beauty and power—but even looking at it blows me away. Brett Lickle, who’s been riding this wave with me since the beginning, refers to it as the Great Mother. I agree. She’s right in my backyard, and yet in a million years I could never take her for granted.