Big wave surfing means riding waves with faces of 30 feet or more, at spots such as Nazaré, Jaws and Mavericks. It takes years of training, special boards and safety gear, and a support team on jet skis. This guide covers what makes a wave "big", where they break, who rides them and how surfers survive them.
What Counts as a Big Wave
There's no exact definition, but a big wave is usually 20 feet or more on the Hawaiian scale. The Hawaiian scale measures roughly from the back of the wave, so a 20-foot Hawaiian wave has a face of 30 feet or more. Big waves move faster and hit harder than normal waves.
They need two things: a powerful storm far out at sea that creates a large swell, and a sea floor near the coast that focuses that swell into one spot.
Famous Big Wave Spots
- Nazaré, Portugal: Home of the largest waves ever ridden. An underwater canyon funnels swell toward Praia do Norte. Surfers often need to be towed in.
- Jaws (Peahi), Maui, Hawaii: A powerful reef break with huge, fast barrels and violent wipeouts. Surfers paddle or tow in, depending on the size.
- Mavericks, California: A cold-water reef break near Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco. Mostly a paddle-in wave, with tow-in on the biggest days.
- Waimea Bay, Oahu, Hawaii: Where modern big wave surfing began in the 1950s.
- Teahupo'o, Tahiti: Not always the tallest wave, but very thick and fast, breaking over a shallow, sharp reef.
The Surfers
Big wave surfers combine strength, calm under pressure and deep knowledge of the ocean. Well-known names include Laird Hamilton (a pioneer of tow-in surfing), Garrett McNamara, Maya Gabeira (who holds the Guinness World Record for the largest wave surfed by a woman), Kai Lenny, Nic Lamb and Justine Dupont. They train in the gym and the pool, and they practice holding their breath to survive long hold-downs (being held underwater by a wave).
Big Wave Gear
- Guns: Big wave boards, often 9 to 12 feet or longer. They're thicker, heavier and narrower than normal boards. The length helps you paddle fast enough to catch a big wave, and the weight keeps the board stable on the face. Shapers such as Pat Rawson and Stretch are known for them.
- Heavy-duty leashes: Thicker and stronger than normal leashes. Some surfers wear two in case one breaks.
- Inflatable vests: The most important safety gear in modern big wave surfing. After a wipeout, the surfer pulls a cord, and a CO2 cartridge inflates the vest to bring them to the surface. These are specialist surf vests sold by surf brands, not the boating life jackets sold in most stores.
- Helmets and impact vests: Protect against hits from the board, the reef or the water.
- Wetsuits: Thick neoprene for cold spots like Mavericks, thinner suits in Hawaii or Tahiti.
Paddling, Towing and Safety
Surfers catch big waves in two ways:
- Paddling in: The surfer catches the wave under their own power. This takes huge strength and timing.
- Towing in: A jet ski pulls the surfer onto a wave that's too big or too fast to paddle into. Laird Hamilton and his friends pioneered this in the 1990s.
Surviving a wipeout is a skill in itself. Surfers must stay calm, protect their heads and save oxygen while the wave holds them down.
Big wave sessions run like a team operation. Jet skis wait in the channel to rescue surfers, and safety crews watch every wave and keep in contact by radio.
What Every Surfer Can Learn From It
Even if you never ride a 50-foot wave, big wave surfing teaches lessons that apply at any level:
- Build your fitness. Swim, train your breath and get stronger.
- Use the right gear for the conditions.
- Learn how waves work and how to stay safe in the ocean.
- Step up slowly. Surf bigger waves only as your skills grow.
- Respect the ocean.