Word: knoxes
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...shape of the ocean bottom. Surfing hot spots, or "breaks," are usually places where there is a sudden transition between deep water and shallow. Thus, as waves roll in, they are forced to leap up and over an underwater barrier. For example, "Killers"--the name of the break that Knox surfed at Todos Santos--channels big ocean swells across a deep canyon onto a submerged reef. Result: waves sweep in at heights of 10 to 20 ft., then rear up, like bucking broncos, to much greater heights. "A wave is a moving mountain," says Collins, "and what happens after...
More than anyone else, perhaps, Collins has helped fuel the growing popularity of the extreme trend in surfing known as big-wave charging. What has made it possible for dudes like Knox to take their death-defying rides is not some quantum leap in equipment design or surfing technique, but the improved ability of surfcasters to pinpoint exactly when and where a Godzilla-size swell is likely to sweep in from the sea. While there are others in the business, says Bill Sharp, director of the K2 Challenge, "Collins is the guru. He was the first...
...Knox and some two dozen other top surfers showed up at Todos Santos because Collins had predicted a spectacular swell at that particular time at that particular place. They brought with them their longest surfboards, because the longer the board, the faster it cuts through water. A 50-ft. wave, after all, travels at speeds in excess of 20 m.p.h., and anyone who's too slow at the approach risks being smashed. Every so often, in fact, a big-wave surfer dies. This year Jet Ski rescue teams provided backup, and there have been no fatalities...
...weeks ago it wasn't clear if Knox would keep his big-wave record. For as the K2 Challenge entered the home stretch, it seemed possible that another giant swell off Hawaii might produce a new contender for the big prize. But when the contest ended early last week, it was clear that the waves that rolled into Waimea Bay did not come close to the monsters of Todos Santos...
...Knox, it's the thrill of the ride, not the big cash prize, that's indelibly inscribed in his memory. "I caught the biggest wave of my life, so in my mind I've already won," he says. "You know, I've never seen a winter this big and this good--I hope El Nino comes back again next year...