http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2007/12/11/MN4ITQULT.DTL
http://www.surfline.com/video/video_player/video_player.cfm?id=12653&mv=ncl
Master surfer cheats death in biggest swell of season at Maverick’s
Riding the Waves at Mavericks, SF coast, these guys are nuts.
“Definitely the worst wipeout I’ve seen,” said photographer Frank Quirarte, whose stunning still images (more on http://www.mavsurfer.com) captured a session not even visible for fog-shrouded spectators on land. “There was a lot of stoke in the air, guys hooting each other’s rides, but when Flea went down, everything just stopped. We all thought he was dead.”
Washburn, filming from close range, said he felt sick as he pondered the consequences. Grant “Twiggy” Baker, the South African who won the 2006 Maverick’s contest, called it unsurvivable.
The Spoils of War 