Insane New Footage Of Big Wave Surfing In Maui

In this newly released video from the creators of the web series “The Isle,” local Maui surfers Matt Meola and Albee Layer walk the viewers through what is arguably one of the most insane paddle-in sessions to ever take place in the sport of surfing.

Shot on a windy day at Pe’ahi on Maui’s north shore, the spot, more commonly known as “Jaws,” was originally made famous as the testing ground – and later the proving ground – for the extreme watersport known as tow-surfing.

In tow-surfing, professional watermen and women utilize jet skis to whip into waves, which are simply too powerful to be paddled into under traditional human power. For an example see this video of Garret McNamara and Kealii Mamala tow-surfing a wave formed by a collapsing glacier in Alaska. This is the same dude who towed in to a 90-foot wave this past winter off of Portugal and set the new world record.

While this school of thought still inevitably holds true, in the last year a growing number of professional surfers have been pushing the limits of paddle surfing and redefining the limits of where that point actually is. With many surfers now being assisted by big wave rider Shane Dorian’s innovative inflatable wetsuit, the ability to survive the types of wipeouts seen in this latest video has apparently helped surfers blur the boundaries of paddle surfing for yet another time.