Albee Layer Auctions Jaws Board For Maui Water Safety Crew

Originally posted on SURFER | By Ashtyn Douglas-Rosa | Last updated Jan 2, 2025 12:27 PM ET

The day the Eddie Invitational ran in absolutely cranking conditions, Albee Layer scratched his yellow 9'4" Sean Ordonez Shapes big-wave gun into some of the heaviest waves we've ever seen paddled into at Jaws. According to Layer, it was the best session of his life. The 25-second-period swell that thundered towards Pe'ahi that day produced "some of the best waves in history."

Now that the historic swell is a week-plus in the rearview mirror, Layer has decided to run an informal auction on Instagram of the board he rode that day (and broke on an absolutely mental wave) alongside a signed 24 x36 inch photo of "the last wave it rode" taken by lensman Chris Egan. His goal is to raise money for a handful of the local water safety crew that risk their lives during massive Jaws swells to protect those in the lineup.

"Most of us do our best to pay water safety but it doesn’t come close to what they deserve," Layer wrote on Instagram. "I want to get them a little holiday bonus for how hard they all crushed during this insane run."

"Most of these guys and girls are running full time jobs, with families and on their days off instead of chasing waves for themselves or fishing (when it’s glassy) they use that time to be our guardian angels [sic]," he continued.

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A post shared by Albee Layer (@live.fast.die.old)

The skills, time, sacrifices and dedication of the XXL safety crews are partly the reason big-wave surfing has progressed so dramatically over the past decade. And Layer would like to ensure they continue getting what they deserve.

Olie Shipp, Andrea Moller, Kurtis Chong Kee, Kaipo Stevens Soledade, Daniel Silvagni, Kolomona Fernandez and more are a few local heroes he plans on donating the money to. "Will do my best to stoke out the ones who need it and have always looked after my self and others," says Layer. "Hopefully get enough to start there but if big goes huge we can stoke out even more."

Layer started the auction at $1000, and called on his followers to bid in the comment section of his post. So far, 11x World Champ and GOAT Kelly Slater has made the top bid at $5,000.

The auction will likely run through next week, with Layer promising to give his followers a warning the day before it closes. So if you'd like to show your appreciation for the unsung heroes of Maui's XXL water safety crew (and you'd like to one-up Slater at something), head to Layer's page and make an offer.

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

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