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Banzai Pipeline Waves

North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii - Dec. 24 2006

The Banzai Pipeline is notorious as one of the most dangerous places in the world for big wave surfing. In the winter, the waves can get huge (I saw 20 footers but they get even bigger) but the real danger is that the waves break over a very shallow reef which has pulverized many unlucky surfers. These waves are formed when big storms in the North Pacific generate huge swells which propagate towards Hawaii. On a day with big waves forecast, the area is jammed with surfers, photographers and spectators. I saw many broken surfboards and scraped up surfers come out of the water.

These guys risk it all to catch the perfect wave.

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