“It was fate. I was meant to catch that wave.” – Paige Alms
The local paper ran a comic depicting “Maui’s wahine barreled at Jaws, spit out a legend.” Her phone rang off the hook; text messages, television interviews, emails, opportunities like never before knocking at the door. Even the WSL sent out a press release reading, “Jaws Barrel Sets New Bar.”
Images of Paige’s tube starting clogging social media feeds that night, as we sat down for a celebratory dinner in Haiku, her hometown. It wasn’t until the next morning that realization kicked in about just how far news had reached from the Hawaiian Islands, springing a new chapter for female surfers, a progressive one that could guide a new path for her sport. We saw it coming, but Paige had kicked everything into overdrive.
She took a break to check the surf at Ho’okipa, just down the road from Pe’ahi and her house. I couldn’t even count how many local guys stopped to congratulate her. There was this look in their eyes as if she had just launched to the moon and back waving a Hawaiian flag along the way. Maui was glowing with pride.
On January 22, 2015, Paige Alms paddled into the barrel of a lifetime. Her favorite wave, Pe’ahi is the mecca of big-wave riding. Not only was it the ride she had been waiting for her entire career as a professional surfer, but it also made history – pushing the envelope and earning her an XXL Big Wave Awards “Ride of the Year” nomination.
A killer year and a killer smile, Paige Alms also surfed Mavericks in Northern Califonia this season for the first time, during the WickrX Super Sessions. Photo: @ShannonReporting
Paige has this natural affinity after herself, an aura of positivity and confidence that is outmost contagious. Yet, it’s her humble spirit that I admire the most – and that’s what I tried to capture through the lens. Her character is one of a true role model, a leader, an ambassador for the sport.
Surfing is lucky to have her.
It was an honor to watch the event unfold, and sit down with Paige for an exclusive interview about the ride that would alter her career forever. We discussed her magic equipment in detail, her 9’4” gun shaped by her soulmate, Sean Ordonez of SOS Shapes, and how perfect it felt under her feet. She described the board as if it had steered her straight up into the pocket, but don’t be fooled by her modesty – her talent as a surfer impresses the masses. Shortboard or long, I’ve yet to see her make a mistake when she’s riding a wave.
I hope you enjoy the video, “So Pitted”, and are similarly inspired as I was by the empowerment she felt getting spit out of her favorite wave, for the first time.
Special thanks to WickrX Super Sessions for enabling women to swell chase, embrace leadership and follow our dreams.
Paige Alms so pitted in front of all her closest friends. Photo: Cristi Taylor
