“It’s one of the most intense waves you’ll ever see,” Kelly Slater once said of Mavericks. Indeed, this slam Will Skudin is one of those cringe-worthy Mavericks moments that adds to its infamous lore and will be played in wipeout reels for years to come.
Frame: Pedro Bala
There’s a longstanding adage in surfing that video doesn’t actually capture the speed, the power and the force of a conventional wave. The fact that Skudin’s December 28 wipeout looks this heavy just goes to show how bad it probably was in person. Filmer Pedro Bala nailed the shot in all its terrifying slo-mo.
Skudin, age 37, has quietly made a killing in heavy waves like Mavericks, Jaws and Nazaré for years. Somehow, he walked away from one of his more dramatic slams and even thanked his tow partner Nic Von Rupp “for putting me into the belly of the beast.” So what do you think? Is this the worst wipeout of the year? It’s certainly up there for discussion. The nominees for the 2024 SURFER Big Wave Challenge Wipeout of the Year will be announced on August 18. Stay tuned.
Related: FULL VIDEO: Surfers Brave ‘Biggest Day in Years’ at Mavericks