Famous surfer Mark Visser got his board and a couple helicopters to Jaws, the huge wave reef on Maui Island, Hawaii. Then, at night, he tried to kill himself. I mean, he went out surfing 40-foot waves at night.
The shots of him riding a 40-foot wave is so perfectly awesome that it looks computer generated at times. But it's not. He was wearing a buoyancy vest and a modified surfboard with built-in LED lighting.
The lighting technologies were created especially for the project by Solus Corporation using ground breaking NASA submarine lighting to ensure the wave and board were lit in the right places, at the right time and illuminated the wave without hindering the vision of Visser, the jet ski drivers and the helicopter pilots.
The video is beautiful and scary. It will be included in a new documentary series called 9 Lives. [Transworld Surf via The Scuttlefish]
video.mpora.com— The first Short Stories film, by renowned photographer and body boarder Mickey Smith, explores his world as a true waterman - both as an athlete and artist, and is called The Dark Side of The Lens.
In early December 2009, Super Typhoon Nida was dying in the North Pacific (that's her in her prime below). She was a real beaut - 175 mph winds, lots of energy. Some of that energy ended up in what could be a record-setting wave in Hawaii. More on that in a sec...
As Nida lost steam, another system called "97W" was beginning to organize just below her. Both storms are visible here:
What happened next created what some predicted would be the biggest waves Hawaii had seen in 40 years.
As Nida lost her mojo, her energy was absorbed into 97W creating a massive low-pressure system similar to a nor'easter. Before the storm fell apart, it pumped out a huge swell that landed in Hawaii three days later, on the morning of Dec. 7. The result was a wave that only two surfers were both brave enough and in a position to catch:
By the way - when they ask if this is the biggest wave ever caught, they're talking about paddling into a wave without the use of a jet-ski. In other words, this isn't the biggest wave ever ridden...that likely happened on Cortes Bank in January of last year (that wave was judged to be 77 feet high) and was caught with the towing abilities of a jet-ski. But the wave you see above *could* be the biggest wave ever ridden by simply catching it via paddling with your arms and legs. This video is an entry in Billabong's annual big wave competition, so we'll probably hear from them this summer on exactly how big they think the wave was.
Also, you may wonder what it feels like to wipe out on one of these monster waves. Watch the video below for that answer...
*Thanks to NASA for the images and NASA's Rob Gutro for an explanation on the storm systems.
Thousands of spectators and surfers are flocking to Hawaii's beaches to see the biggest waves in years crash ashore.
Heavy traffic backed up for miles yesterday along roads leading to Oahu's North Shore. Some of the world's most daring surfers took on the powerful and dangerous waves, which forecasters say could reach heights of 50ft (15 metres) by tomorrow.
The surf grew so large that a few beaches on Oahu and Maui were closed because lifeguards feared inexperienced sightseers could drown, according to state officials.
Two surfers ride a huge wave at Waimea Bay on the north shore of Oahu in Haleiwa, Hawaii, yesterday
'After the water comes in, it can drag you back out with it,' said Eric Basta, a manager at Surf N Sea in Haleiwa. 'Be mindful of how powerful the surf really is.'
As violent as the waves were, they are expected to growth in strength, according to the National Weather Service. The high waves are expected to continue throughout Wednesday.
A legendary big wave surfing contest, the Quicksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau, may be held today for the first time since 2004 if waves reach a minimum of 40 feet (12 meters), organisers said. The event is only held in perfect conditions, and the waves weren't quite big or smooth enough on Monday.
'The swell energy is continuing to grow, and the waves may get larger,' said Robert Ballard, a forecaster for the National Weather Service. 'A large storm over the North Pacific has sent a wave train at us.'
Hawaii hasn't seen such large waves since 2004 or 1998, he said. Teams of tow-in surfers - who use jet watercraft to race into waves too big to paddle - are flying to Maui from Brazil, South Africa and Australia, The Honolulu Advertiser reported.
The Quicksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau surf contest was postponed because the surf did not reach the 30-40 foot wave high requirement yesterday
But forecasters say waves could reach heights of 50 feet (15 meters) by tomorrow, with plans to hold the surf contest today
Professional surfer Reef McIntosh expertly navigates the waters
A large storm over the North Pacific has resulted in bringing what are expected to be the biggest waves to Hawaii in five years
The surf grew so large that a few beaches on Oahu and Maui were closed because lifeguards feared inexperienced sightseers could drown
Dudes flying 100 miles an hour just inches away from a cliff, dropping 186 feet down a waterfall, and ollieing over the Great Wall of China. . . all part of the progression.
Wingsuit Flying: Loic Jean-Albert, Andreas Barkhall, Espen Fadnes
Have you seen people flying yet? These guys are full on achieving mankind’s oldest dream. As they continue to push skills and develop new wingsuit technologies, it’s only a matter of time before somebody pulls off a controlled landing without a parachute.
Kayaking: Tyler Bradt, Rush Sturges, Ben Stookesberry, Jesse Coombs, Tao Berman, Pat Keller, Chris Gratmas
10 years ago, running any waterfall much over 30-40 feet was more of a stunt than anything else. Today, the latest boat and gear designs along with continually-evolving paddling technique have enabled paddlers to run enormous waterfalls totally under control. Up until this Spring, the 30-40 meter height seemed to be a plateau, but then Tyler Bradt made a completely game-changing run here in Washington, styling out the 186 foot Palouse Falls.
Check out the athlete reel of Rush Sturges below to get some idea of where paddling is at these days:
Snowboarding: Terje Haakonsen, Jeremy Jones, Bjorn Leines
There are posses of big mountain riders out there, but these guys have been pushing the biggest mountain lines for years.
Skiing: JT Holmes
Along with Shane McConkey (who died in a ski-base jumping accident earlier this year) JT Holmes has, for the last several years, pioneered big mountain lines that previously only existed in people’s imagination by incorporating base-jumping skills into skiing.
Skateboarding: Danny Way, Bob Burnquist
Although modern skateboarding still probably owes more to Rodney Mullen than anyone else, Danny Way and Bob Burnquist have (and still are) pushing limits as far as how big a feature can be skated.
Surfing: Laird Hamilton, Mike Parsons, Ken Bradshaw, Ross Clarke-Jones
These guys are among the most famous representatives of an entire crew of tow-in surfing pioneers.
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All you art collectors out there. Here is a chance to get a Giclee copy of some of Ian M Sherwin work. Ian is planning on doing a whole series of Marblehead, Massachusetts paintings. His work is amazing.
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