Big wave surfing is considered an extreme sport, specifically for professional surfers. What sets big wave surfing apart from regular surfing is the size of the waves and the surfboards.
In regular surfing, the surfer usually rides waves that are about five feet high. For these waves, the surfer can use either a long board or a short board, depending on his preferred style. On the other hand, big wave surfing exposes the surfer to waves that are at least 20 feet high. The big wave surfer has to ride waves that are faster, meaner and certainly much more forceful than regular waves. Big wave surfers use a special long board known as the gun or the rhino. These big wave surfboards are longer and bigger, and they enable the surfer to paddle faster to catch the waves.
One of the most popular competitions for this kind of surfing is the Mavericks Big Wave Surfing event which is held every winter in Mavericks, California. The location is known for its waves that range from 20 feet to a maximum of 50 feet. These waves usually appear after a north pacific storm which is known to create underwater rock formations that trigger really big waves.
Big wave surfing can be a very dangerous sport. When a surfer falls from his board, he will certainly be thrown into the water from an elevation of 20 feet or more. After the fall, the surfer has only 20 seconds to gain equilibrium and surf in the upwards direction. If he fails to do this in 20 seconds, there is a possibility that he may drown. For this reason, surfers have to be very skilled to do big wave surfing, and they must also be physical strong and well built.
This kind of surfing has been very popular among surfing enthusiasts for many years. Big wave surfing videos are available online and in surfing retail stores, where you can find a wide selection of movies and documentaries about the big wave surf. Big wave surfing pictures are also very sought-after since a regular big wave surfing picture usually features a surfer riding a breaking wave with the water almost enclosing him. A big wave surfing photo like this shows the true challenge and excitement of this sport.
A variation of big wave surfing is the tow-in surfing. This kind of surfing also involves bigger waves, but instead of just riding on the waves, the surfers are “towed in” either by a watercraft or a helicopter. If you watch a big wave surfing video of a surfer being towed in by helicopter, you will notice that the waves are sometimes too big to catch by mere paddling.
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