This just in: the surfing at Ma’alaea is really, really good. But did anybody know it could be this good?
About 15 seconds into Maui surf channel MROD MAUI’s latest YouTube video, you might think, “Wow, that surfer just rode a pretty amazing wave.”
Then, the camera pans right, and another surfer drops into an even better one.
Then, the same thing happens again. And again. And again.
Conditions at Maui, Hawaii’s Ma’alaea Bay can develop into what some call the Freight Train, where huge barrel after huge barrel rifles toward the beach — to surfers’ widespread delight.
But if it’s ever gone bigger than this, we’ve never seen it. And neither has the MROD MAUI cameraman. Watch the waves steadily grow and charge faster until they force the man shooting the clip to admit, “This is the biggest Ma’alaea has ever been.”
It’s pretty satisfying to watch an endless parade of surfers escape each barrel from the beach via the steady camera work. But for the true insider’s perspective — literally — check out Kai Lenny’s slice of the pie.
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Not surprisingly, the young pro found himself in the lineup. Dig Lenny’s GoPro footage and avoid getting lost in the pipeline.
A “50-year swell on the fastest wave in the world!!!” surf photographer Dayanidhi Das commented on Instagram. He enthusiastically compared the crowd’s roar when each surfer came out unscathed to a prize fight knockout reaction. “A day that goes down in history for Maui!”
We can’t imagine a better — or faster — place to paddle out.
Runtime: 5 minutes
