The 2023-2024 big wave season is officially upon us. When we are all closing the books on the soon-to-be El Niño winter, reminiscing on highlights from Jaws, Nazaré, Mavericks, and more, the starting point of it all will have been Wednesday, October 18th at Pe’ahi. And the first wave we’ll all replay belonged to Albee Layer.
The swell built through Tuesday and into Wednesday for Hawaii, marking Pipeline’s opening day as well. That same swell saw waves at Maverick’s too and is currently trickling its way down the West Coast as we soak it all in — a clear reminder that seasons are changing and, one more time, that this will be a long one with El Niño expected to linger into spring 2024. But even with plenty of action through different parts of the Pacific, it was Layer’s paddle-in highlight that stole the show.
“I have some very wild goals for this year in general but they feel a little more doable after days like this,” he said of the wave.
“He adjusts effortlessly and somehow slides out from under the curtain,” photographer Arron Lynton says of Layer’s style. Lynton was tracking the swell, like he does every swell that hits Pe’ahi, and locked in his usual spot on the cliff to document the day. He agreed it was Albee who stole the show Wednesday, “making it look all too easy while casually reminding us all that Albee Layer is the king of the West Bowl.”
If that’s just the start of things for Albee this winter, he’s gearing up for a big one.
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