This was an interesting one. My models were showing a 9ft. swell with 16 second intervals…no big deal, so I thought.
A few of us went up to the cliff that overlooks Ross’s to check it out. The wind was howling from the northwest, the water was all hacked up. After 20 minutes or so, Alex Martins made the call to paddle out.
It was a big media day, as there were lots of photograpers shooting the opening ceremony for the Maverick’s contest. The Chasing Maverick’s production crew was out there as well, getting some final shots for the movie. There must have been three boats and five skis in the water…maybe more.
I was sitting south of the main bowl, just minding my own business, like I always do…waiting for the bombs to swing wide. I wasn’t paying attention when one came my way. It took me by surprise and I wasn’t able to see if there was anything behind it…so I started stroking. The wind coming up the face was too much for me and I got hung up in the lip…unable to make the drop.
The next one started to feather on me. I managed to swim through a vertical face, but my board didn’t. My fifteen ft. leash was stretched out to like twenty-five feet and I was dragged into the pit. The wave after that was full on. By the time I wrangled my board…it was too late.