Pe'ahi Awakens

This is one of several images in my collection from the North Shore of Maui. I encourage you to listen to the Audio Track for the image Pe’ahi’s Revenge for the full account of my experience at Jaws during a huge swell in December of 2024.

I captured this image early on the morning of Friday, December 20th. It was a near perfect morning with clear skies and light offshore winds. I always love images as the first warm rays of sunlight hit the surface of the ocean. The swell was not yet at its peak. The nervousness and anxiety of just how big the swell would get was momentarily replaced by the excitement to get into the water on a more manageable day in near perfect conditions. I captured this image from the back of a jet ski as the sun seemed only to illuminate the face of the breaking wave. I think this image captures the calmness and serenity of the morning, but also hints at power and size of what was to come.