The day after Thanksgiving, 2023. North Shore, Oahu.
While most of the world was nursing a tryptophan hangover, some brave souls grabbed their biggest surfboards and hunted gargantuan, mindboggling massive waves.
It was too big for most spots; the only options were the Outer Reefs.
“The biggest swell of the year,” Koa Smith narrates in a throwback video to that November, 2023 day. “We are going and surfing it. We keep getting reports, like, ‘we just saw a 50 foot wave.’”
Of course, Koa bags a bomb. As did others on that day, like Mark Healey, Nathan Florence, Koa Rothman, and Eli Olson. The footage was full-on survival mode stuff.
And from Healey, here’s what he had to say about that day:
“So, um, this swell kind of snuck up on us. The same as the Eddie swell earlier this year. The storm was kind of far away. I didn’t really think it was going to be huge – maybe 15 or 18 feet. But it just hit on the buoys last night like a ton of bricks. Just…giant.
Related: Video: Historic Swell Slams Hawaii, Pro Surfers Go Survival Mode at Outer Reefs
“There’s closeout sets at Waimea; water is washing all up on the Kam Highway; it’s really big; it’s 20 to 25 feet on the sets. We’re just doing the usual, schizophrenic figuring out where the right spot to be is at. I’m gonna go hop on a jetski and try and get some barrels.”
“I woke up with so much fear this morning. I kept having so many thoughts of like, ‘no…’”
Then, the video cuts out. But you can imagine what he might’ve said.
No, let’s just stay home today.
No, sorry guys, I’m sick today.
Or…
No way I’m missing this.
Sounds like he went with the latter.
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