A Bird’s Eye View of a Mavericks Wipeout

Originally posted on SURFER | By August Howell | Last updated Aug 30, 2024 7:08 PM ET

Sometimes a surfer can do everything right and the ocean will just say, “Nope.” Especially in the big wave game, where surfers come to grips with nature’s extremes. There are moments when everything seems like it’s exactly in line: A surfer equipped with the right board, in the right place at the right time. But the ocean loves to throw curveballs.

Take the case of Trevor Carlson, one of the most dedicated Jaws surfers you’ll ever meet. He out-waited Peter Mel for a chance to scratch into this wave, one of the biggest to come through on a March 2024 swell.

“I thought to myself, if you’re going to paddle around out here and float around you kind of have to be willing to go when one actually comes to you,” Carlson recalled. “It’s not about choosing the right wave out there. If something happens to break and looks good, you have to give it a shot because it might be one of the only waves of the day that breaks out there."

Thanks to the drone work of Kyle Hulse, we get a detailed view of one of those waves Carlson shot at. He got in very early and is on his feet well before the wave looks like it’s about to throw. But then his zebra-striped gun lifted up and over that infamous ledge, not too dissimilar to Grant “Twiggy” Baker’s nightmarish airdrop from January 2021.

The ledge got Carlson up, but it’s the impact coming back onto the wave that throws Carlson off balance. A valiant effort, but ultimately a shoo-in nomination into the 2024 SURFER Big Wave Challenge. The Mavericks bathymetry claims another one. Better luck this winter, Trevor.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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