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You may have been clued in lately that Jaws, Maui’s premier big wave, has been extremely paddleable. All the usual suspects have been on the hunt to prepare themselves for when the ocean really goes Richter on the Valley Isle’s north shore. That includes Justine Dupont, who has set the bar for women in big surf the last few years. But not without sacrificing her body. Dupont took a serious beatdown this week after navigating a crazy drop-in at Jaws a few days ago.
Dupont, who broke her shoulder and ruptured knee ligaments four years ago at the Peahi Challenge, had come from Nazare to Maui to catch the swell. That’s 40 hours of travel. She arrived exhausted at 2 a.m. and paddled out on two hours of sleep. Then she got stuffed.
This from Dupont’s Instagram page:
“The conditions were really nice, without being too big and with little wind which is rare for Jaws. When this wave came, I turned around and paddled hard, I shouted, I said to myself, ‘Wow I’m there.’ A fraction of a second later, I took a coconut tree on the face ( @coconut_willie 😅 🥥) The fins went over my foot and I fell right on the impact of the lip. Like four years ago, I saw a lot of stars again. Thank you @kolomona1_ @kurtischongkee and all the boys for the rescue. I was in pain everywhere, but I really wanted to take advantage of the conditions which were magnificent so I went back to the peak telling myself that I was fine. After an hour I still couldn’t see well, I wanted to vomit, I had a headache and I was coughing up blood. End of session.”
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Dupont went on to thank Kai Lenny’s Ohana for the rescue. And she had no ill will towards Coconut Willie, aka Willie Hunt, an experienced Hawaiian surfer. “I really don’t blame @coconut_willie,” she said. “I stay positive, accidents are part of surfing (I’m starting to get used to it..) but I admit that I really wanted to surf this wave until the end.”
For his part, Hunt was truly apologetic. “So first thing, I’d like to say I’m extremely grateful @justinedupont33 is okay after a very dangerous situation,” he wrote. “Surfing Jaws is filled with a lot of crazy emotions and split-second decisions. As I paddled for the wave I was right next to Zane. As I looked to my left I didn’t see Justine on the other side of him. Zane pulled back and I thought I was in the clear to go. VERY SORRY to put you in that situation.”
All’s well that ends on the beach. Another swell is sure to come. And drop-ins happen.
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