Maui Big Wave Surfing at Jaws

About twelve times a year, Pacific storms and the Maui’s north shore underwater topography combine to create monster waves called Jaws. The waves are highest in the winter, with waves going between ten and sixty feet high.

This page is about surfing Jaws. I also have pages on Maui Jaws map location and Maui Jaws driving directions.

Surf Conditions at Jaws

Tow-in surfing. The waves are so large that even professional surfers cannot paddle among them. They work in tandem with a partner on a jet ski that tows them into the wave and picks them up after the wave.

Unless the surf is at least 15 feet high, there will not be the big wave surfing at Jaws that you expect. Check the Maui North Shore surf conditions for today before making this trip. On the image, check for the North Shore wave conditions close to Ho'okipa Beach.

This type of surfing is not for vacationers like us, or even for experienced surfers. Watching big wave surfers at Jaws is a spectator sport. And at Jaws, just watching is exciting.

Maui Big Wave Surfing Video at Jaws

This Maui big wave surfing video by Red Bull has several helicopter views so you can see the cliffs and observation areas.

Return to Maui Surfing from Maui Big Wave Surfing