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:: Chasing The Big One |
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SCOTT HADLY - NEWS-PRESS SENIOR WRITER
February 20, 2006 7:50 AM
'Shark Park," a spot miles offshore Santa Barbara County, looked deceptively placid. On the deck of the 75-foot Condor Express, 10 seasoned surfers, six photographers, two videographers, two writers, a medic and a water rescue specialist watched earlier this month to see if it was big enough to break. There was a palpable sense that maybe they'd be out of luck.But peering out over the surface of the sea as it rippled slightly like a rustling teal blanket in the early morning light, they focused on a set of waves racing toward the submerged rock reef, wondering if it would break.Pointing at one wave as it bunched up on the reef, Dan Curry, a 46-year-old, barrel-chested, Carmel-baseed big-wave surfer and personal trainer, muttered, "There it is."The wave warped ominously, jacking up as high as a four-story building half a city block long before the wall of water curved over, exploding in a thundering cavernous barrel. Sounding like a jet engine on overdrive, the explosion of white water sent a concussion of rippling "wavelets" as big as six feet into the channel.Mr. Curry and the other surfers smiled.Game on.They knew as the tide dropped, the waves would get even better, bigger and hollow.With sea lions swirling through the clear water, the surfers on the Condor scurried to get into their wetsuits, beginning what would turn out to be a full day of epic surf in perfect conditions on a wave that had just been discovered. The Feb. 7 expedition to Shark Park -- given the ominous name because of its proximity to a spot where a sea urchin diver was killed by a Great White several years ago -- was part of a six-year effort by Montecito-based photographer and filmmaker Greg Huglin.Since 2000 Mr. Huglin -- known to many as "Huggie" -- has been scouting distant offshore locales looking for the next Peahi or Mavericks or Cortes Banks. He was looking for a spot that can hold massive waves, possibly even the elusive crown jewel of this emerging extreme sport -- "the 100-foot wave."In the last few years, big-wave surfing has made quantum leaps, as surfers began to use Jet Skis and Waverunners to tow themselves into ever bigger waves, double and triple the size of anything ridden before. Waves in excess of 50 feet cannot be paddled into, and tow-in surfing has become the next frontier for big-wave riders.HITTING SOME BUMPSIt has not happened without controversy -- some surfers say using a noisy, polluting machine to catch a wave is akin to cursing, smoking or drinking in a cathedral. The craft are barred from federal marine sanctuaries, and there are stiff fines for driving near marine mammals.Mr. Huglin's efforts to organize a trip to Shark Park hasn't gone over well with some of the fisherman at Santa Barbara Harbor, who don't like the idea of bringing attention to any of the surf spots off-shore, even ones that haven't been surfed before. The exact location of the spot, which Mr. Huglin asked not be disclosed, is outside the 1-mile exclusion zone surrounding the Channel Islands National Park.Mr. Huglin said he has taken great pains to abide by those rules, while also respecting local fishermen and divers who don't want any secret surf spots revealed.He compares his effort to an expedition to Everest, a trip of discovery by people who love the sport and the adventure of finding a new challenge."It's never been about money," he said. "I'm not out selling T-shirts or anything. This is just about the adventure. There are so few incredible waves like this that when you find it and you know the kind of guys who have the physical ability to ride it, you want to see that."Mr. Huglin's constant goal has been to go out and photograph great surfers having fun riding really big waves, all without anybody dying. He got his wish earlier this month, but the margin between death and glory looked pretty narrow.On one wave, Garrett McNamara, an intense dark-haired 38-year-old who only the day before won a tow-in contest in Hawaii before jumping on a plane to get to Santa Barbara Harbor for the 4 a.m. departure, pulled into a huge tube only to be clipped by the brunt of the breaking wave. His body crumpled like a fender being rammed by a semi before he was driven deep under water.A set of three more waves mowed through the line-up, and it was a long minute or so before Mr. McNamara's helmeted head popped up in the white water a few hundred yards from where he'd fallen.Hawaiian Kealii Mamala, his tow-team partner, maneuvered his Waverunner in and pulled a spent Mr. McNamara onto the rescue sled."I was dizzy, but I could have taken two or three more on the head," he said later.His $1,600 board -- a short narrow foam and Fiberglas with a 10-pound lead weight in the center -- was slit in two, so he and Mr. Mamala drove back to the Condor for another board from his quiver. As he waited, Mr. McNamara coughed huge gobs of blood into his hands. He looked at the blood for a second and then just wiped it off on his leg as a boatman handed him another board. He and Mr. Mamala went out for another couple of hours of waves.Afterward, Mr. McNamara said he figured the pressure from being pushed so deep underwater and from the force of the wave had "loosened something in his lungs."But he said he felt fine.RISING POPULARITYAt the end of the day, Mr. Mamala, who'd repeatedly pulled into huge barrels, asked Mr. Huglin to call him the next time he plans a trip to the spot."That was one of the best waves of my life, for sure, man," he said with a Hawaiian lilt in his voice. "That was awesome. Thank you for inviting me."First pioneered in 1991 by Laird Hamilton and Buzzy Kerbox, who started with an inflatable equipped with an outboard motor, tow-in surfing has come of age in the last few years. The tow-in riders use small, narrow and thin boards that are more like water skis than surfboards. Recently, they've begun to add 10-pound lead weight to their boards to add momentum and stability as they speed down huge walls of water.With each winter season the stakes are raised a notch as surfers one-up each other with ever bigger waves. It's not only bragging rights that are on the line, but some serious money. The surf clothing company Billabong is offering cash for the biggest documented wave ridden each year. The minimum wave size considered is 60 feet, and the company plans to dole out $1,000 for each foot. They gave $68,000 to last year's winner, Dan Moore, for catching a 68-foot wave at Peahi on Maui.Mr. Huglin has spent in excess of $30,000 trying to put together the tow surf trip offshore and a team of surfers to tackle the fickle waves at Shark Park and at another spot nearby that he dubbed "Psychos." Flying over the area in a helicopter and airplane, he's seen waves of 80 feet breaking in long peeling walls. The Feb. 7 trip cost him $12,000 to $15,000, he said.The seas around both the spots are notorious for their danger to ships and fishermen. With huge surf, unpredictable winds and fog, it's a challenge to get there and back. Finding the right mix of big surf, calm winds and clear skies has meant a long wait for Mr. Huglin, but his moment arrived on a warm day in February.The swell wasn't considered a huge one for the group of big-wave riders. The surf looked fun to them. Not deadly, but somewhere between 30 and 40 feet with an occasional bigger wave.FIRST SURFUntil December, no one had ever surfed Shark Park before. Mr. Huglin took many of the same guys out to ride the swell, but the conditions were choppy, and not as big as they'd hoped.On that day, a small fishing boat showed up along with the Condor. On that boat were Santa Barbara surfers Chris Brown, Josh Bradbury and Chappie Pettersen. Mr. Brown turned out to be the first one to tow into a wave. That's believed to be the first time anyone had surfed Sharks Park.Mr. Brown was back at the spot in a small fishing boat on Feb. 7 and nabbed some of the biggest tube rides that day. Also there in their own small boat were Chris and Dan Malloy. To the awe of many on the Condor, Chris was able to paddle into four waves without a tow.There are still only about two dozen quality big-wave spots along the California coast, and the prospect of finding one that hadn't been ridden before and that could handle really big surf had drawn not only Mr. McNamara and Mr. Mamala, but also Mr. Curry and his tow partner Tim Corliss, a tall blond Los Angeles firefighter and paramedic who is a regular fixture at Mavericks and Ghost Trees, two big-wave spots in Northern California.Bennett Williams, a local kite surfer and big-wave rider, and his tow partner Jed Tucker also suited up. The day before the trip, Mr. Williams, an Isla Vista Parks and Recreation worker, had driven all the way to Santa Cruz and back to pick up a new tow board.Also there was big-wave surfer Rusty Long from San Diego. Rounding out the tow teams were multisport athlete Chuck Patterson, from Dana Point, and his partner Eric Akiskalian, a former Santa Barbara surfer who has relocated to Washington state.Mr. Patterson, a 38-year-old extreme skier and kite surfer, once held the record for the highest cliff jump on skis at 142 feet. At 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds with blond hair and a chiseled face, he looks like Dolph Lundgren getting ready to bash Sylvester Stallone in Rocky IV. The only difference is that Patterson smiles a lot more and looks like he's in a lot better shape.Like the rest of the team, Mr. Patterson puts two life vests on when tow surfing. Waves of this size are so powerful that even with two vests, the surfers can be driven to the bottom and held there.CREATING A ROUTINEHe and Mr. Akiskalian, a stocky 40-year-old who manages the Web site Towsurfer.com, have developed a routine. After Mr. Akiskalian slings Mr. Patterson into a huge breaking wave, Mr. Patterson cuts back, fading into the most extreme section of the wave. By the time he finishes riding the wave, Mr. Akiskalian swings by with the Jet Ski, enabling Mr. Patterson to grab the tow rope and go back for another wave without pause.The machine-like coordination allowed Mr. Patterson to rack up in excess of 60 waves on Feb. 7, pausing only briefly to let Mr. Akiskalian grab a few.On one wave, Mr. Akiskalian hit a bit of chop and was thrown off his board, landing on his back on the face of the wave. While a boatload of photographers watched in horror, Mr. Akiskalian's body skipped like a stone down the face of the wave. When the huge lip of the wave hit him, his arms and legs jerked like a Raggedy Ann doll being mauled by a pit bull.Mr. Patterson was able to pluck him from the water after three more waves mowed through. Mr. Akiskalian was pale and too weak to grab ahold of the rescue sled, but he shook it off and stayed in the water for the rest of the day."That was the worst wipeout I've had in 40 years of surfing," he said later, smiling.e-mail: shadly@newspress.com
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