The first real XXL swell hit Jaws in the back half of December, and the waves were good, to say the least. It’s a day that every Jaws surfer waits for, so you can bet that hearts were pounding when a big northwest showed up in the forecast. When it first hit Peahi, it landed with conditions that were perfect for a warm up paddle day. The next day, though, was a little… different.
There an issue with the forecast on December 20: a Kona low storm was passing through the islands, which generally brings bad winds, and most big wave surfers decided to go elsewhere. But at around 10:45 am, Kai Lenny showed up, along with a few friends, to have a sniff. Then Yuri Soledade, Jesse Richman, and Francisco Porcella did too. And although the wind was strong and the sea was angry, they decided to pull out the tow boards and give it a go.
“It was victory at sea,” wrote Marcus Rodrigues of MRod Maui. “Kai got a few rights and the rest of the tow-in crew picked off some really big lefts. The wind was changing often creating tough conditions with some dangerous west sets stretching across the whole reef. It was a crazy day with giant surf and very strong Kona winds.”
