Silicon enema? Life-long paralysis? Anyone?

Talk about "dicey"!

If I was ever to work up the cojones to commit to towing into one of these vicious beasts, only to realize a milli-second too late that I was too deep, I think I'd soil my wetsuit and squeal like a little girl. The action starts around 6:25 or so. The biggest ones truly underscore the ocean's total indifference to human survival. Keep in mind that a single gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds: how many gallons do you suppose are in one of those lips? Keep in mind also that those waves are jacking and pitching that way because they're coming out of deep water and then hitting a shallow rock shelf. Note the rock boils in a couple of the sequences: that means the rocks are just below the surface. Freakin' horror show:

 
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I used to love surfing! But OMG, small to moderate waves for me! I did not have a death wish!
 
Cougar said:
I used to love surfing! But OMG, small to moderate waves for me! I did not have a death wish!
Click to expand...

Yeah...it was my drug of choice for decades and I still go out once in awhile, but nowadays it's pretty much "5 feet and under". Even in my heyday, I never graduated beyond 9'-12' faces, max: was not enough of a strong swimmer/waterman to feel comfortable in the conditions that usually accompany waves any larger than that. "Know your limits", as they say. Have surfed New York, Florida and most of the California coast. Also Mexico, though neither Puerto Escondido nor Todos Santos. Surfed Hawaii, but never the North Shore of Oahu: just windward Maui and Kauai. Came close to drowning at Silver Strand near Oxnard and at Ocean Beach (S.F.), both on big days. Ocean Beach is especially scary when it gets big, as there aren't really any paddling channels, the water is cold and the current is ferocious, especially when it starts dropping towards a minus tide.
 
Sometimes, not even a jet ski is fast enough (expanding to full screen recommended):



The degree of turbulence and how long it persists after the wave has passed speaks to both the bathymetry and the sheer volume of water that's moving. Consider also that Yamaha Wave Runners cost the better part of 10 grand. And since they weigh 7 or 8 hundred pounds, being near one in the impact zone becomes "a bit" problematic.
 
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A valiant effort but, sometimes, nothing can save you. Note how close his head comes to hitting the sharp, trailing edges of his fins:

 
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