Work · Big-wave surfing
Peahi, Before the Crowd
Danny paddled out at first light, before the tow teams arrived and the channel filled with boats.
Peahi on a big swell is a logistics problem before it’s a surfing one — by 9am the channel is boats, skis, and drones, and everyone is fighting for the same six waves. Danny’s answer was to be out there at 5:40, alone, on a swell that hadn’t been forecast to peak until noon.
We shot from the cliff with a long lens for the wide sets and had a water housing in the channel for anything that came through close. Three waves in that window were worth the whole morning; the rest of the piece is the paddle-outs in between, which is most of what big-wave surfing actually is.