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Jaws of death: come face to face with a great white

Hawaii's gnarliest surf spots

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Aussie surfer Ross Clarke-Jones carves on walls of water that would spook Satan.

How close have you come to death?
Probably breaking my back, landing on my arse in Backdoor Pipeline [Hawaii]. It knocked me unconscious and I was paralysed for 30 to 40 seconds. That scared the shit out of me. Other wipe-outs at Jaws have been extremely violent experiences. I nearly drowned in Indonesia in 1992.

What’s the story there? I’d been under for 30 seconds and knew I was quite deep. I was just getting to the surface and another wave hit me and pushed me down another 20, 30ft [6m to 9m]. I’m down for like a minute now, getting thrown around violently. I’d gone through a bit of panic, thinking, “This is way too long.” Then it all slowed down. I’d almost given up and it was pleasant, it wasn’t horrible at all. I was calm and about to swallow water when I came to the roof and swallowed air.

THE WORLD'S BEST BREAKS
Mavericks, Northern California Crippling cold water, jagged rocks, shifting currents and bastard great whites mean this brutal break at Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco, is only surfed by the best. For 15 years from 1975, local surfer Jeff Clark had this massive break to himself. Few believed waves so big – routinely over 25ft [7.5m] and reaching 50ft [15m] – could be surfed in California. It wasn’t until photos were published in the early ’90s that people took notice. Now up to 50,000 spectators turn up to the invitational comp every few years.

Shipstern Bluff, Tasmania First surfed by Tassie local David Guiney in 1986, this isolated break, reached by a 90-minute bushwalk, was a closely guarded secret for almost 10 years. Naturally, the word got out and now big wave surfers from all over the world take on the swells coming in from deep Antarctic waters.