Have you been on the beach at Waimea Bay when a big swell is in the water? The shorepound is out of this world. Back-breaking lumps of water detonate onto dry sand while little kids and adults alike throw themselves off them. Lifeguards yell at tourists who decide they’d like to leave their kids playing in the sand mere feet away from all of this. It’s a wonderful show.
Of course, part of the reason why it’s such a wonderful show is that people get smashed into close-outs. Jamie is a close-out connoisseur, and he was kind enough to explain to the camera how he manages to avoid injury—although it should be noted that he has broken both legs at Pipeline. “Basically, all the power and the energy is on the other side of the lip,” he explained. “So as long as you don’t get lipped in the head, you’re most likely… probably not going to get hurt, because that’s all the energy of the wave. In theory, you’re way more safe inside the barrel.”
