Last year, Ben Gravy was in Hawaii during Super Swell Saturday. It was, as you surely remember, a very large swell. The outer reefs were huge, but at the beaches, it was pretty much un-surfable save for by a select few. This year, however, things were a little different. Ben Gravy, who happens to be staying with Jamie O’Brien, woke up early after a night of thunder. Not regular thunder — it was just the waves detonating on the reef at Pipe. He was nervous, but excited. Everyone was telling him that it would be the day of days.
“Of all the years I’ve been to Hawaii and visiting the world famous Pipeline, I’ve never seen it this big,” he wrote. “This is by far the biggest surf I’ve ever seen the inside beaches of Oahu hold.”
One of the best things about Ben is that he’s not a professional surfer. He doesn’t surf on the QS or the CT, but he’s carved out a place for himself in lineups around the world by being humble, friendly, and willing to go.
It was proper big when he checked it in the morning. Second and third reef were showing, but, as is often the case on the North Shore, it had a bit of morning sickness. Once the sun came out in full, however, things shaped up… and Ben was understandably a little terrified.
“I keep weighing my options,” he said into the camera. “Can I do it? I’m pretty sure I can get out there. Maybe I could snag a little one. But I’m just looking out there and seeing these 15- to 20-foot waves rolling in. I can’t believe this is real. I can’t believe this is happening. Just experiencing Pipeline at this size reminds me how small I am.”
After a full day (in which Jamie told Ben it might be too dangerous, which probably didn’t comfort Ben), they finally decided to paddle out at a little after 5 p.m. And after a long wait, Ben Gravy did what he came there to do.
“I’m over the moon right now,” he said afterward. “I caught a wave that nobody else wanted, but I don’t care. I caught a wave. I’m stoked… I overcame my fear of not wanting to do it, and I did it. And that’s the dream!”
And while it wasn’t the biggest or the best wave of the day, it was surely the beginning of Ben’s never-ending journey to accomplish whatever else he’s got planned next.
