Two Big Wave Legends, One Monstrous Maverick’s Tube (Photo)

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 2:39 PM ET

The Pacific Ocean went into hyperdrive last December. Just before Christmas, the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational ran at Waimea Bay; Jaws, on Maui, was jumbo; and that same swell that hit Hawaii also made its way to California, specifically Maverick’s.

There to greet it in Half Moon Bay were a handful of big wave surfers and photographers, including Peter Mel (who had been competing in The Eddie) and Fred Pompermayer (who was shooting Jaws). They both hopped on red-eye flights that evening, and the following day, surfed and shot one of the biggest and wildest days ever witnessed at Mav’s.

And over the weekend, during the Big Wave Challenge awards, their strike mission efforts paid off, as Pompermayer was granted the 5-Hour Energy One Shot Photo of the Year award for his snap of Mel in a hulking, absolutely menacing Mav’s cavern.

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Mind you, there was stiff competition for the honors – like Jerome Brouillet’s shot of Matahi Drollet on a screamer at Teahupo’o, and Erik Aeder’s cartoonishly massive photo of Benjamin “Sancho” Sanchis at Jaws. But in the end, Pompermayer took the cake.

Before the award was handed out, we caught up with both Pompermayer and Mel on the blue carpet to hear a little bit more about what went into that shot and that day. Here’s a snippet of our conversation below.

“You could just feel it,” said Mel. “It was the most energy I’ve ever felt in the ocean. And I’ve been out there a lot. I’ve felt different intervals, but that was the strongest I’ve ever felt by a long shot. I had no idea [what the wave looked like]. I just ran into a wall of water. And he [Pompermayer] sent me the shot, and it was this little thumbnail, and I was like, ‘holy…’ That thing went really wide.”

As for Pompermayer, here’s his take: “I was really scared out there that day. Shooting and driving the ski, it was really tough. When I saw the wave coming, I knew I had to hold my nerves and stay in the spot. I was so close. I remember going over the wave, and all this water coming behind me. In that moment, I knew I got something really special.”

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Congrats to Fred Pompermayer for the win, Peter Mel for the wave, and all who were celebrated at this year’s Big Wave Challenge. For the full list of winners, see here.

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

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