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Sunday, January 25, 2015

Now THAT'S a wave

 There is a surf spot on Maui -- been to Maui, never been to this surf spot -- that apparently is a top-notch big surf beach. And I mean big:



This is what is known as a "clean-up set:"
Photographer and filmmaker Giora Koren, of Maui, shot dramatic footage of these extreme-sport athletes taking on waves dozens of feet high at Peʻahi, a popular island surfing spot also known as Jaws.
“It became a really competitive sport, big-wave surfing. And people are challenging themselves to catch the biggest wave possible,” Koren said in an interview with Yahoo News.
One of his videos shows a gathering of surfers dive underwater to avoid getting crushed by a colossal wave.
That clip was filmed during what’s known as a cleanup set: a particularly large set of waves that break farther outside than usual and “clean up” the surfers caught inside.
 I've been there -- not at that size, because that is fucking huge and well beyond any skills I ever had. But every surfer has experienced a clean-up set. You position yourself where it is most likely you can catch the waves you're seeing. Occasionally, you'll see a set of bigger waves that break farther out. It's never good, but when the waves are this big, it really sucks. On the other hand, if your are in position, you can get a great ride. Like this guy:
Some of the world’s best surfers, including Kai Lenny, were in town this week for the Peʻahi Challenge, which is organized to coincide with forecasts for huge waves.
Koren shot footage of Lenny, who was born and raised on Maui, inside an enormous barrel.


Awesome.

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