Photos: Jaws Roars To Life On Opening Day of Hawaii's Big Wave Season

It started slow and tedious, got weird in the middle, then concluded with screaming, high-fives and hugs. No, that’s not a reference to an annual company holiday party. I’m talking about the first day of legit swell to fill in at Jaws, which happened shortly after Thanksgiving on November 30.

Most of Maui’s heavy hitters were home for the holiday, so it’s no surprise that this opening day gallery includes perennial standouts like Kai Lenny, Albee Layer, Torry Meister, Kai Paula and Tyler Larronde. Big ups to Fred Pompermayer and Matt Cibulka for their work behind the lens and delivering this shots. While we live in a video world these days, there's still a place for epic surf photography like this. Browse the highlights below at your leisure and stay tuned for more reports from the Islands.