Jaws of the Giant

This image 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.

By Friday, December 20th, the swell had definitely filled in and was producing solid surf all day. In the afternoon, Daniel, my jet ski driver decided to give me a tour of Jaws. Between sets, we zipped over to the east side of the break to watch the left. After flirting with the shoulder of the break for a bit as some giant sets rolled in, Daniel drove to the inside to give me a good opportunity to photograph the wave up close. 

I grabbed my camera and began to look for my compositions, but with waves exploding like bombs in close proximity, it was challenging to concentrate 100% of my shots. This is my favorite image from that excursion. I really like the view from the east looking west — you can see the cliffs and trees along the north Maui coastline. The afternoon sun was high in the sky and easily penetrated the top of the wave, illuminating the inside of the wave in these stunning hues of aqua blue.