The Rise to Fame of Jaws
Cover image: Kai Lenny at Jaws in 2018 ©Guille Pozzi
Pe'ahi, aka Jaws, is regarded by many as the best big wave in the world. It comes alive between November and March, releasing raw, incredible power and generating ridable mountains of water that range from 30 to 80 ft. Big Wave surfers around the globe drop everything to hop on a plane to Maui for their chance to charge this crazy break. Here is how Jaws came to fame.
The Early Years
For many years Pe’ahi was surfed by the few who knew about the secluded break. Its location, off a beaten path and down a rocky cliff, made it not only hard to find but hard to access. Before it became popular, locals identified the spot with a dome-shaped house, which is how it earned its first nickname, “Domes." 
In 1975 John Lemus, John Potterick, and John Robertson, the John triple threat, heard about Pe’ahi and decided to go check it out for themselves. After scaling down the cliffs, boards clutched tightly, to the rocky beach, they paddled out to a seemingly manageable ocean. Suddenly the smaller, easy-going waves they had seen from shore turned into mountainous, rough swells. The dramatic change reminded the trio of a shark attack. They decided to call the break Jaws, after the famous Hollywood shark thriller. Even subtle changes in swell size and direction can transform this break, from peaceful to deadly, in short periods of time.
The waves at Jaws remained fairly vacant for years to come. Not only was the break unpredictable and hard to get to, but the big wave equipment like jet skis, helicopters, and inflatable life vests weren't around to provide the safety and confidence many rely on today.
Jaws and Windsurfing
In the early days, the waves at Jaws were primarily ridden by paddle-in surfers due to the difficulty of getting to the break and dominance of prone surfing in the water sports world. In the 1980s, everything changed when pioneer Windsurfers Dave Kalama, Mark Pedersen, Brick Lickle, and Robby Naish began testing out the waters with their sails and boards. Pushing the previous boundaries of the sport, they were able to ride waves just as big and impressive as traditional surfers.
Today some of the most memorable big wave performances at Jaws are performed by Windsurfers. Some of the best-known rides belong to Kai Lenny, Jason Polakow, Camille Juban, Robby Naish, Levi Siver, Robby Swift, and Marcilio Browne.
Despite the variety of people now surfing out at Jaws, the wave didn’t come into the public spotlight until the 1990s and the rise of tow-in surfing with Laird Hamilton and the Strapped Crew.
Tow-in Surfing
The Strapped Crew, nicknamed for their style of tow-in surfing that required the surfers to be strapped to the boards, consisted of young talent Laird Hamilton with Darrick Doerner, and Buzzy Kerbox. Along with Rush Randle, Pete Cabrinha, Mike Waltze, and Lickle, who invented tow-in surfing, they broadened new horizons for the sport of Big Wave surfing.
Waves never before believed possible to ride were conquered with a jet ski, rope, and the new, smaller, more performance-focused boards. Paddling into big waves requires longer boards, but with the assistance from a tow, a 10 - 11 ft gun is replaced with a 6 ft, much more maneuverable board.
The bigger, gnarlier waves the Strapped Crew were charging at Jaws brought fame to the break. Cameras followed these men as they performed the unthinkable, aweing not only the surfing community but the rest of the world. Without knowing, they made Maui the epicenter of pushing the limits of surfing technology.
Tow-in surfing was dismissed as cheating by some of the more traditionalist members of the paddle-in surf community. Despite the push-back, it's non-negotiable that tow-in surfing allowed surfers to ride bigger waves, and for the first time, made surfing a team effort.
Today
Today surfers across disciplines regard Jaws as the best big wave in the world and use it to push the boundaries of big wave surfing. In 2000, Robby Naish became the first to SUP at Jaws, and in December of 2015, Jesse Richman was the first to get barreled at Jaws while kitesurfing. Jamie O’Brien has even tackled this monster on a soft-top.
Each year the best big wave surfers like Kai Lenny, Billy Kemper, Makua Rothman, and more compete at Jaws to earn recognition in the sport. Their rides earn them spots in the Big Wave championship awards and continue to blow previous big wave expectations out of the water... literally.
Did reading about Jaws inspire you to hit the waves? Remember to check out the Jamie O’Brien App here for anytime, anywhere surf coaching.
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