yeah i've almost had my left arm dislocated wiping out on about a 10-12 footer. I've probably also come close to being knocked out a few times on similar size waves.
I read that many of the purists were adamently against tow-in, until they started hearing about the size of the waves getting surfed using this technique. However, more recently people were starting to paddle into the really big ones.
it all depends on the break and the dynamics of it. some can be paddled into, some not.
You can get seriously f**ked up on a double overhead. If you fell off of a late take off on anything over 40'...getting whacked is a distinct possibility. On a 100'er? You're going to die, if you're lucky.
Cortes bank is an underwater island that comes within a few feet of the surface. It can hold up in the biggest swells. Potential for massive waves however it is 100 miles out so logistics are problematic. There is some good videos in the link below
Cortez Bank was the main focus of the book I read, that I referenced upthread. Greg Long was a main character in the book, that was largely about the discovery of Cortez Bank as a big wave surfing destination. I don't remember Garrett's name coming up in the book.
If you consider how few surfers can handle waves that big and match it up with the hand full of the top climbers soloing hard stuff I think the man factor would be about equal (off the charts)
I think a big difference between solo climbing and big wave riding is the odds are much more in your favor of surviving a fall on a wave than on a solo climb ( surely dependant on how high up the route you are). . Also it doesn't take uber big surf to kill you, I was at Pascuals' in mainland mex, a very heavy beachbreak , and a kid was killed with a broken neck on the very shallow sandbar. Wedge in newport takes people out as well. not to forget pipe as well.
the speed of the waves has a lot to do with the use of tow-ins
basically the surfer has to "phase lock" with the wave, that is, be moving at roughly the wave velocity, then manage the riding down a moving hill...
for small waves, say 3m water depth and 10 m wave length, the wave speed is something like 3 m/s
(7 miles/hr) my guess is that you can sprint that fast to catch the wave
for a 15 m depth and what, 100 m wave length? the wave speed is 10 m/s, or 22 mph... difficult to get to those speeds without assistance...
Peahi was a little better than 60' that day.
Greg Huglin and I were shooting 35mm movie film from the cliff.
Here's what greg had to say about that shot,""Hey Olaf,
Yup this amazing shot keeps on popping up and I think it's the most widely watched shot online.
It was shot by Pete Fuzard in Super18 from the helo.
I was shooting from the spot you built me and ran thru twenty 400' film mags (80 minutes) that day, the most I ever shot in one day, ever.
I begged Pete to let me do the helo shooting since I had already done almost 200 hours in the past but he was the director and it was his call.
It was Pete's very first time of using the Tyler Mount in a helo and he friggin nailed it!
The shot of Parsons is jaw dropping and will live as one of the best ever.
That was an amazing day we all had courtesy of the Brazilians.
I just ran into Ricardo Fonseca, the Brazilian producer of that event here in Santa Barbara.
He was visiting a rich Brazilian surfer who is a mutual acquaintance and Ricardo came over to my house and visited.
He still has a surfing TV show in Brazil.
Hows the Maui life for you?
Cheers,
Greg
Arguably, the hardest part of riding a wave is the takeoff, the drop.
With tow ins that is eliminated but the challenge comes in being in the right spot, with the right speed when the wave finally does break and navigating all that water and power. Oh, and surviving.
I have towed in once, on waves the size of one of the bumps on these XXL waves.
We were not towing because it was too big to paddle into but rather, the wave would not allow an easy entry before it broke.
So there's no take off, but as the wave builds and you get down the face, the feeling of "my god, what have I done" comes over you. It was fun, not much consequence.
Big props for anyone riding large waves in whatever style and whether the wave is mushy or barrelling. It's all big, all powerful, and could be deadly.
That guy GMac has been charging the heaviest and biggest waves for years and years now. He's gnarly.
That being said, I think the modern paddle in big wave movement is awesomer.
Hawaiians always ask if i am related to him... not to my knowledge but maybe way back. wish i could charge big waves like that, but BIG OB is plenty big for me.
Let us know!