Pete Thomas Outdoors

Giant swell slams Hawaii; up next is California and Mavericks big-wave surf contest

An enormous north swell is arriving in California and expected to build Thursday night into Friday morning, signaling a green light for the much anticipated Mavericks Invitational surf contest at notorious Mavericks near Half Moon Bay.

How powerful the swell turns out to be, and what type of conditions prevail remain to be seen. But it's the same swell that slammed parts of the Hawaiian islands on Wednesday and Thursday, luring throngs of spectators to the shores.

Hawaii News Now described it as "the largest swell in decades" and published a slide show showing massive waves breaking on Oahu's North Shore, near the fabled Waimea Bay.

A headline atop a Honolulu Star Advertiser story on Wednesday screamed, "Surf up to 40 feet expected to roll in today."

As a result of all the publicity, nightmare traffic jams ensued on the highway leading from Oahu's south side to the north shore. One of the more compelling pieces of footage was a video clip showing an enormous wave breaking in slow motion at Shark's Cove just north of Waimea Bay.

The footage, shot with a high-speed camera, was captured by Tyler Rock of Hawaii-based Freesurf Magazine. The wave face measured perhaps 40 feet. In a 24-hour period, the clip was shared more than 6,000 times on Freesurf's Facebook page.

"If you could compare these waves to an animal, what kind of animal would it be and what would it eat for lunch?" Freesurf asked Facebook users.

 

Mike Latronic of Manulele Incorporated, which owns Freesurf, said that although the people in the foreground appear to be too close for comfort, they were not in danger.

However, sea level is usually 30 feet below the road on which the bystanders are parked and standing. The tide and surge from the swell, and the towering waves, placed this surreal scene at eye-level.

"I've lived here for 35 years and have never seen a wave go over those rocks," Latronic said. "But [Wednesday] they were about 10 feet from going over the road."

The high surf advisory is in effect through Friday morning, just about the time many of the world's best surfers will be paddling out at Mavericks, which is an offshore break infamous for its cold, green water, an occasional great white shark sighting, and ominous-looking breakers that inspire a deep respect–also known as fear–among even the world's best.

The Mavericks contest is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m., with the finals set for about 1:30 p.m. The event will air live via webcast at Universalsports.com.

–Pete Thomas, via GrindTv Surf

Australia's sharks are tweeting warnings to surfers, swimmers

Large sharks off Western Australia are now doing their part to keep surfers and swimmers safe–by sending tweets warning of their presence.

Scientists have fitted 320 sharks, many of them great whites, with transmitters that issue computerized warnings to the Surf Life Saving Western Australia's Twitter feed when the tagged sharks approach within a kilometer of the coast's popular beaches.

For example, a tweet sent early Saturday in Australia reads: "Fisheries advise: tagged Bronze whaler shark detected at Garden Island (north end) receiver at 06:0700 AM on 27-Dec-2013." 

The twitter feed has more than 14,000 followers and the real-time warnings, it's hoped, will help people make more informed decisions when considering ocean activities.

Chris Peck, from SLSWA, told Sky News that this system will reach beachgoers before alerts issued via traditional media, such as radio and newspapers.

"You might not have got some information until the following day, in which case the hazard has long gone and the information might not be relevant," Peck said. "Now it's instant information and really people don't have an excuse to say we're not getting the information, it's about whether you are searching for it and finding it."

Six people have been killed by sharks off Western Australia in the past two years. The latest victim, Chris Boyd, 35, was fatally bitten while surfing in November.

The government has been under tremendous pressure to make the waters safer and the Tweeting program comes after a decision to allow professional hunters to kill large sharks sighted in certain areas.

Premier Colin Barnett recently told reporters: "The safety of human life, the safety of beach goers using our marine environment must come first."

The shark-culling effort, however, has been highly criticized as a program that will only lend a perception that the waters are safer after a shark or several sharks are removed.

So far, nobody has tweeted in opposition to shark's using Twitter to announce their arrival. To be sure, it seems like the more rational of the two plans.

–Pete Thomas, via GrindTv Outdoor

Bodyboarder attacked by shark off island of Hawaii

A bodyboarder was bitten Wednesday off the Big Island of Hawaii by what was believed to be a 10- to 12-foot tiger shark.

A 29-year-old unidentified Captain Cook man was being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to Hawaii News Now.

The incident occurred at about 8 a.m. near Punalu'u Beach Park in Ninole Bay, in shallow water about 20 yards from shore. The bay and beach were ordered closed by lifeguards and will reopen Friday at noon.

This marks the 14th known shark attack in Hawaiian waters this year. Eight of those, two of which resulted in a fatality, occurred off Maui.

–Generic tiger shark image is courtesy of Wikipedia

Warning to Manhattan Beach paddlers and anglers: leave the great white sharks alone

When a coastal region has a great white shark problem, it generally means that a clear and present danger exists for water users.

But for Manhattan Beach in Los Angeles County, it's the sharks that are at risk of being harrassed by stand-up paddlers trying to videotape them, and by anglers attempting to hook the protected predators.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife, citing a trend that involves paddlers with GoPro cameras intentionally trying to find white sharks, is warning people to leave them alone or face the possibility of being cited. The same goes for pier anglers.

"White sharks are a candidate species under the California Endangered Species Act and therefore fully protected," Traci Larinto and Michelle Horeczko, part of the DFW's White Shark Status Review Team, said in a statement issued Thursday afternoon. "They cannot be taken or pursued.  The public should take steps to avoid white sharks while fishing or being out on the water."

Though white shark sightings are up this year throughout Southern California, the epicenter is Manhattan Beach, particularly a mile-long stretch from the pier north to a surf spot called El Porto.

Juvenile white sharks–those measuring to about 10 feet–are seasonal residents of Southland coastal waters, and perhaps because of a mixture of abundant prey and warm water, many of them congregate off Manhattan Beach.

(Juvenile white sharks feed primarily on small fish, including sharks and rays. Most sightings occur in summer and early fall. The sharks are believed to migrate into Mexican waters during the winter.)

The increase in sightings could be due to an increase in the number of juvenile white sharks. But a definite factor is a sharp increase in the number of people who stand-up paddle, many while caring GoPro cameras in the hope of capturing footage to share via social media.

"Right now, every surfer/thrill seeker with a GoPro is going out to Manhattan Beach and trying to film them, ride them, and catch them on hook and line," said Christopher Lowe, a Cal State Long Beach professor and white shark expert. "Most people do not understand CESA regulations and that even incidental catch [or] being caught swimming after a shark with a GoPro camera can be considered take or harassment and is a citable, even jailable offense."

Paddleboard sightings began to increase in September. In October, a YouTube video of a close encounter, shared by Mike Durand, went semi-viral. He used a helmet-cam to record a shark swimming beneath his board as he paddled  off El Porto. Video is posted here:

 

Also catching the eye of the DFW was a Nov. 8 post on this website, showing Eric Martin swimming with a 9-foot white shark. Martin, co-director of the Roundhouse Marine Studies Lab and Aquarium at the end of the pier, said he had always wanted to swim with a great white.

Not long after he swam out with a mask and long pole for protection, one of two sharks that were spotted from the pier cruised within feet of him.

Larinto, of the DFW, says this sends a message that this is acceptable and safe behavior.

Martin, who has spotted dozens of white sharks from the pier over the years, said he swam with the sharks, in part, to prove that the juvenile sharks do not present a serious danger to swimmers and surfers.

Fishermen, however, are no friends of the sharks. Martin has watched anglers intentionally try to hook them. Last year, he almost got into a fight with a man who refused to let Martin cut his line, after he had hooked a white shark. The man eventually allowed Martin to free the shark.

Earlier this week KTLA posted footage captured by paddleboarder Nathan Anderson off El Porto. Anderson stated that three white sharks were picked up by the camera, all within 100 yards of one another. The video was uploaded to YouTube on Monday and is posted here:

 

As for fishing for sharks from the pier, it's not illegal. But catching white sharks is illegal and hooking them for catch-and-release seems to fall into somewhat of a legal gray area.

But these are a protected species that may or may not be mounting a comeback after years of overfishing. It's best to leave them alone.

Said Lowe: "One rumor is that a couple of fishermen have caught and killed some sharks off El Porto and supposedly found squid in the stomachs. I just don't think the public understands the ramifications of the law here." 

–Pete Thomas

–Top image shows Eric Martin intentionally swimming with a juvenile great white shark off Manhattan Beach Pier. Credit: Dani Baker

Father of missing surfer Kirk Passmore wants son's last ride to be watched

 

Less than two days after Kirk Passmore went missing after a wipeout in large surf Wednesday on Oahu's North Shore, his father expressed a wish that his son's final ride be shared with as many people as possible.

Passmore, 32, a passionate big-wave surfing veteran and Hawaii resident, is presumed to have drowned and as of Friday his body had not been found.

Larry Haynes, a cinematographer who was capturing footage of surfers riding 20- to 30-foot waves at an outer reef known as Alligator Rock, complied with Passmore's father by sharing Kirk's final ride footage with Hawaii's KITV News. (Video posted above.) 

It shows Passmore, on the white surfboard, negotiating a steep drop before digging the nose of his board slightly into the water, catapulting him forward. The wave broke on top of the surfer and moments after the whitewater swept over him, his feet could be seen in the froth.

That was an indication, perhaps, that he might have ruptured his eardrums and had become disoriented, and did not know which direction was up or down. Another large wave broke, snapping his surfboard in two, and breaking the leash attaching the tail-end of the board to the surfer's leg.

By then rescuers had swept into the impact zone on personal watercraft, but could not get to Passmore before he disappeared.

Unfortunately, the surfer's fatal mistake might have been not wearing a floatation vest. "They were trying to grab him but they had nothing to hold on to," local surfer Chris Owens told Hawaii News Now. "What would have saved him is if he had a float vest on. Everybody wears float vests nowadays."

Fatalities are rare in big-wave surfing, despite the raw power of enormous swells generated by faraway storms.

That's because surfers, by and large, are a close-knit group and watch out for one another. It's also because most of them train vigorously, to be able to withstand being held under for long periods, and because water patrol staff on personal watercraft are almost always on vigil during these large-surf events.

(There have been great strides in water safety on the North Shore since Todd Chesser, a famous surfer, died at Alligator Rock in 1997.)

Additionally, most surfers have come to realize the importance of floatation vests, which help them attain the surface faster after a wipeout, and keep their heads upright.

Passmore's wipeout comes only two weeks after Maya Gabeira, a rare female athlete in this adrenaline-fueled sport, endured a beating in enormous surf off Portugal.

Gabeira, who was pulled to safety during a frantic rescue effort by her Jet Ski-riding partner, Carlos Burle, was wearing a vest and credits the device for helping to save her life.

It's hoped that Passmore's tragic accident will underscore their value, and serve as a reminder that despite great strides in water safety, nothing is guaranteed.

–Pete Thomas, via GrindTv

Big-wave surfer Maya Gabeira saved from drowning after wipeout on massive wave at Nazaré, Portugal

 

Big-wave surfer Maya Gabeira was pulled from the water unconscious Monday after falling while attempting the drop on an enormous wave at Nazaré, Portugal.

The wave buried her for several seconds initially, and she was overcome several times afterward by surging whitewater. Were it not for a relentless rescue effort by her tow-surfing partner, Carlos Burle, Gabeira almost certainly would have drowned.

Instead, she's recovering with only a broken ankle, presumably  somewhat humbled by the experience.

"Thank you for caring… a broken ankle, but nothing more!" she wrote Monday on her Facebook page. "I'm recovering well. Please continue cheering."
 
The top footage shows the wipeout on a wave with a face of perhaps 70 feet. The drop was simply too fast and the wave face was too bumpy for Gabeira to be able to maintain balance.

A Portuguese news report (posted below) shows the wipeout and the prolonged rescue effort, during which Gabeira grabs onto the rescue rope and is dragged through the water, when another surge of whitewater overcomes her and causes her to let go of the rope.

It's remarkable that she survived given the amount of time she spent being dragged through the churning water, face-down.

Ultimately, she was hauled onto the beach unconscious, and rushed to a nearby hospital.

The massive swell attracted several of the world's top big-wave surfers. Wave faces measured 60 to 80 feet.

 

Gabeira is one of only a few woman brave enough–some might say foolish enough–to attempt to ride such large and dangerous surf.

Bill Sharp, director of the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards, described Gabeira's wave as "easily the biggest wave any woman has tried to ride."

Yes, she will be a finalist, and probably a sure winner, in the XXL's Wipeout-of-the-Year category.

–Photo of Maya Gabeira is via her Facebook page

–To see more clips from the massive swell at Navare, visit the Billabong XXL Facebook page

Kauai surfer uses boxing skills to fend off attacking shark

A surfer in Kauai claims to have literally fought off an attacking shark that chomped onto his board just after he managed to lift his leg from the predator's mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.

When that happened, Sunday at Pila'a Beach near Kilauea, Jeff Horton rolled off of his board and onto the shark, which he briefly rode briefly while unleashing a barrage of punches.

"I started punching as hard as I could," he told the Garden Island newspaper, adding that he landed about eight blows and caused the shark to back off with a knuckle blow to the the eye.

Horton said he used to box and that he fought because he feared for his life.

"I was pretty scared," he said.

There were about 10 others in the water, watching the chaotic incident, and many others on the beach, 200 yards away.

Judging by the size of the bite marks on his surfboard, the shark was fairly large.

Horton, however, managed to climb back onto his board and paddle ashore.

He told the Garden Island that he was at the center of a group hug on the beach, and that a tourist gave him $50 and told him to go celebrate.

Presumably, with ample reason, the surfer complied.

–Pete Thomas

–Photo showing Jeff Horton and his shark-bitten surfboard is courtesy of Neil Edmands

Hurricane Raymond, with 120-mph winds, lingers ominously off Mexico's Pacific coast

Hurricane Raymond has beleaguered residents on Mexico's south-central Pacific coast bracing for more heavy rain and flooding.

The storm, as of late Monday morning, boasted winds of 120 mph, and maximum gusts of 150 mph. It was a Category 3-level hurricane–the first in the Eastern Pacific this season–and expected to strengthen slightly before weakening slowly during the next few days as it churns to the west.

At 11 a.m. Raymond was located 105 miles southwest of the neighboring resort cities of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo in the state of Guerrero.

The storm was essentially stalled, inching northward at 2 mph. Areas that might feel the strongest effects over the next few days are in Guerrero. They include Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo and Acapulco, and the port city of Lazaro Cardenas, in the state of Michoacan.

Reached via email, longtime Zihuatanejo resident Ed Kunze stated that the hope is that the storm will be coaxed away from the region by geographical forces and cooler air coming from the south and east.

"It has stalled because it is pushing a huge amount of air in front of it, which gets blocked by the 7,000- to 9,000-foot Sierra Madre Mountains behind us," said Kunze, who is not a meteorologist but has been through several hurricane scares. "As the air gets packed against the mountains, it creates an artificial high pressure, which the hurricane bounces off of, and usually heads up the coast.
 
"But, this time we also have cold air coming down from the north, creating another 'wall.' To survive, it has to escape by changing directions… and probably out west. I am confident we won’t get hit, and the stalling action fairly well confirms it."

Kunze said that about three inches of rain had fallen by 1:30 p.m.

Corky Carroll, a former pro surfer who lives in Ixtapa, posted this observation on his Facebook page Monday morning: "Well.... HURRICANE RAYMOND which is reaching CAT 4 status is sitting rudely almost on top of us. So far just a lot of rain and the surf is not that bad either, but who knows what's next. One report says it is gonna cream us and the other says its not.... I am going with the NOT."

Last month, Hurricane Ingrid and on Mexico’s Gulf Coast and Tropical Storm Manuel in the Pacific teamed to cause flooding that killed at least 139 people and left thousands of residents homeless.

Hurricane Raymond is expected to maintain hurricane strength at least through Saturday, as it travels in a westerly direction.

–Pete Thomas

–Image is a NOAA satellite view of Hurricane Raymond, captured Monday morning

Bodyboarder's wipeout at the Wedge is one for the ages

Not everybody surfs, but just about everybody appreciates a dramatic wipeout, providing that the person receiving the pounding is not injured.

On Wednesday, photographer Robbie Crawford posted to his Facebook page a video clip he titled, "The craziest wipeout I ever captured." (Clip is posted below.)

I asked for the back story and Crawford said that the wipeout occurred at the Wedge, in Newport Beach, California.

 

The Wedge is notorious for its thunderous shore break, and popular among bodyboarders such as Alex Johnston, who stars in a video clip that has been widely shared during the past two days.

Crawford states: "These are the types of days people get hurt, break bones and necks. It's because of how close to the beach the wave breaks and in such shallow water."

Johnston, Crawford explains, had hoped to pull off an aerial maneuver, "but the backwash bump was too much to handle as it threw him way into the air and mere feet from the beach into very shallow water."

Pat Towersey, a local who was watching from the beach, predicted to those within earshot: "Alex just died."

Witnesses shouted to Johnston, asking if he was OK, and the bodyboarder emerged from the water "and somehow he walked away relatively unscathed," Crawford says.

The heaviest wipeout ever? Hardly. Big-wave surfers have been smashed onto reefs or held under for excruciatingly long periods in much larger surf, at spots such as Teahupoo in Tahiti and Maverick's in Central California.

But the craziest or most entertaining wipeout?

With Johnston completely airborne and flailing for what to him must have seemed an eternity, with so much uncertainty about his fate, it has to rank near the top. Johnston, no doubt, is eager for the next big swell to arrive, so he can pull off that aerial without so much drama.

–Pete Thomas, via GrindTv

–Find Robbie Crawford on Facebook and Instagram

Australian surfer shares waves with acrobatic dolphins in magical event captured by photographer

Surfers don't typically like to share waves, but when the other surfers are breaching dolphins, they're more than welcome.

The accompanying images by Matt Hutton, who allowed them for one-time use with this story, show Trent Sherborne sharing perfect waves with the real masters of the surf.

The somewhat rare event–dolphins are known to occasionally share waves with surfers, but usually stay beneath the surface–occurred off Kilbarri, Australia.

Hutton, who was testing his new lens, said Sherborne rode two waves with acrobatic dolphins, and seemed to be the only surfer to be so fortunate.

"He was a lucky surfer to not only ride one wave but two with these dolphins," Hutton said. "I was watching for about two hours and he was the only one that I saw that managed to get a nice wave with the dolphins breaching."

Hutton, who had just purchased a new 70- to 200-millimeter lens, with an extender, was traveling back from Perth, in Western Australia, to his home in Wickham. He stopped in Kalbarri for a couple of days and decided to practice a little surf photography.

"After an hour of shooting a pod of dolphins started to follow the surfers in on the big waves so I took the opportunity to try to capture some amazing photos, which I think I was lucky enough to do," Hutton said. "The surfer has come forward saying it was a magical experience and something he will never forget."

Sherborne was one of the hundreds of people to comment on Hutton's Facebook page, in reference to the top image showing the dolphin at head-level.

He wrote to Hutton: "Mate, that's a sick shot and it's me on that wave with the dolphin! I remember that wave clearly–obviously you don't get to eyeball a dolphin like that every day!"

–Pete Thomas

–Note: Matt Hutton's images are protected by copyright laws. He allowed their use for this story

–Note: A different version of this post appears at GrindTv Outdoor