INSIDE JAWS – FIREWALK WITH ME
With the water still dripping from his rashie after a solid 3rd place at the Sunset Pro, we asked Zane Schweitzer to cast his mind back a little earlier to a different island and a session at perhaps the most iconic Polynesian right hander, Pe’ahi. So here’s a walk-through of the pinnacle of the waterman experience – taking off at Jaws.
Words Zane Schweitzer // Photos Jimmie Hepp
(This feature originally appeared in the Spring 2014 issue of SUP International. Print and digital subscriptions for readers worldwide are available HERE.)
SUP: Owing to its status as one of the world’s most photographed waves, many of us are as familiar with sight of the wave we are of the ones at the end of our road, even if we’ve never been there. So to complete the mental picture, talk us through the road in.
ZS: Driving down the pineapple field to Jaws can seem never ending, especially after the long hour and fifteen minute drive from my house in Lahaina! (I think Zane’s being serious about this; living on an island can skew your perspective of distance – Ed). After the bumpy drive through the muddy pineapple field you come up onto the top of Pe’ahi Cliff lookout. After watching the waves and getting ready to surf you still have to hike down a gnarly trail with your surfboard which is always a heavy gun style, then come to yet another obstacle…for a handful of people the most scary part about surfing Pe’ahi is jumping off the rocks to shoot the gap through the Waimea-like shorebreak, except at Jaws you have the added hazard of huge boulders. Then, if you make it past the shore break without breaking your board, you start the paddle through the channel. It’s gnarly to say the least, but it gets your adrenaline pumping!
Well at least you’d expect that would keep the crowds down. Does it?
Lately the crowds out at Pe’ahi have been packed with some of the world’s best big wave surfers. The pecking order pretty much goes by whoever has the biggest balls, however, you don’t wanna drop in on any of da Maui Boyz! Sometimes there are a few people that shouldn’t be out there, but they mostly just sit in the line up. Even some of the best guys don’t get a lot of waves.
So you’re sat out there with the pack waiting for a wave; what are you lining up with?
Out in the line up of Jaws you have a pretty wide playing field. There’s the west bowl section which is a bit more on the inside and towards the channel, and the North Bowl is the peak on the outside, but it’s all a bit shifty most of the time. I like to surf the North bowl and have the opportunity to catch long rights through the west bowl and lefts as well.
Taking on the North Bowl sounds like it could increase the risk of getting dusted…
Well no matter where you are, when you take a wave on the head you better be ready to get thrown around and rag dolled, so enjoy the ride! At Pe’ahi, you get bull dozed by Jaws of heavy water, getting thrown, pounded and pulled apart until it’s over. Before a wave breaks in front of me out there, I put my head down and scratch as hard as I can while breathing deep and sometimes even laughing or shouting to pump myself up for a ride and to clear my lungs. It’s nice to have a jump off the board and dive down before getting slammed by white wash but it can be tough to get under the surface with our floatation vests. All I can say is you have to practice holding your breath, and don’t panic.
As well as being a handy diving platform, what else do you look for in a Jaws board?
I use my 10’6” Kazuma Surf board for most of my sessions out at Pe’ahi, it’s narrow, around 20 inches wide, but I am able to paddle into waves with great speed and most importantly be able to control my direction and set a line with that heavy, narrow gun of a board! But lately I have been switching it up between paddle surfing and sup surfing Jaws with my SUP Gun.
To give us a basis for comparison, talk us through your daily training regime in preparation for waves like this.
Aside from surfing, windsurfing, standup paddling and dirt biking pretty much every day, I think it’s important to stay healthy and maintain good cardio and physical health. For me, the best way to improve myself is to always push myself a little bit more and more every session! I spear fish and dive a lot with my dad and brother back home in Maui, that is some of the best training exercises you can do for big wave surfing and lung exercises. I was also fortunate enough to attend a lung expanding clinic for big wave surfing and diving with Jeff Rowley; that was really cool and informative. And I cross train with impact exercises, Crossfit, yoga and weights too. So, eat healthy, workout, and play hard! SUP