Watch: Surfing Jaws in High Definition

Originally posted on SURFER | By August Howell | Last updated Jan 2, 2025 7:41 PM ET

Tim Bonython is no stranger to chasing consequential swells and navigating the challenges that come with them. But he keeps his camera ready. In the week before Christmas last month, Tim grabbed his RED when a series of storms in the North Pacific sent swell after swell to Jaws. Mercifully, the wind held for several days, a rarity on Maui’s blustery shores.

The video below offers a hi-def montage, offering slow-motion detail into what it takes to get a wave at Peahi. And this is just part one.

Facing Jaws is among the most demanding things a surfer can do. But filming there is a mission, too. Forecasts, jet skis, gear, logistics, expenses, safety — the lensmen also have a checklist.

For example, launching and landing a ski in the Maliko Gulch. You may catch glimpses of it in other Jaws edits, but it takes chops to bring the vehicles in and out of the rocky shoreline, especially on a big swell.

“When you don’t time it, the whole bay dries out,” said Andrea Moller, who works as a local EMT in addition to charging Jaws. “You just have to have good timing so that when you’re down on the ramp there are not rocks under the propeller.”

What follows next is a series of solid Jaws paddle-only days, all in bluebird conditions. Tim, filming from the back of Fred Pompermayer’s ski (you can see Fred's stunning Jaws gallery here), zoomed in tight on the days best drops and worst wipeouts. They only stopped when the ski battery checked out.

Some surfers in the lineup getting reps for the Eddie, which took place in a few days time. Others simply saw it as a stellar run of surf. As Francisco Porchella exclaimed on day 1: “It’s gonna be a good freaking week!”

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

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