Jaws: Maui, Hawaii
The Spot: Jaws, a famous big-wave spot on Maui’s North Shore not far from Pauwela.
Why It Matters: The reef breaks in front of rugged cliffs that have eaten their share of surfboards. The wave breaks about a half-mile off-shore and on smaller days — which aren’t especially small since Jaws doesn’t break much smaller than 12 feet — surfers paddle out from the base of the cliffs. Though Jaws is famous for tow-surfing, there’s been a revival of paddle-surfing the world’s biggest breaks. In 2012, Shane Dorian paddled into a 57-foot wall at Jaws. During the 2013-2014 winter, the crew of Point Break 2 filmed a big-wave session at Jaws for the upcoming movie. (Long-time Jaws regular Laird Hamilton was among the surfers for the shoot.) In 2012, Red Bull’s Ian Walsh towed into Jaws on an inflatable hot dog. As a 21-year-old, Walsh rode a 70-foot wave here.
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