How three surfers reinvented big wave surfing in the '90s with a Zodiac boat — and how tow-in today unlocks waves nobody could paddle into.
Why does even the best paddling technique stop being enough for the world's biggest waves? The honest answer: past a certain wave speed, pure paddling is physically too slow — the wave overtakes you before you've even built up speed.
Laird Hamilton, Buzzy Kerbox and Dave Kalama closed that gap on their own in the early '90s: in 1992 they towed each other with an inflatable Zodiac boat into waves with a 4.5 to 6 meter face at Backyards on Oahu — waves nobody had been able to paddle into before. The boat soon became a jet ski, and in 1994 the same surfers towed into the legendary Jaws wave for the first time, in swells of 12 to 15 meters.
Past a certain wave size, the wave breaks faster than a human can paddle into it — pure paddling there means a late, dangerous drop or no drop at all. The jet ski solves this by accelerating you to up to 48 km/h before the wave even steepens.
The driver tows you in a wide arc into position ahead of the wave, accelerates just before the point where the wave steepens, and you let go of the rope once you have enough speed of your own. The whole sequence often takes only a few seconds — timing decides between success and a false start.
Unlike paddle-in, in tow-in you're often already standing on the board before the actual drop, locked in via foot straps. That gives you stability at extreme speed but also changes how you fall in a wipeout — you don't come free of the board as easily as in paddle-in.
Because engine and wave noise make shouting impossible, all communication runs through clear hand signals: ready, go, abort, emergency. Practice these signals until they're automatic — misunderstandings cost seconds you don't have on a big day.
Tow-in isn't a replacement for paddle-in but its own discipline for waves simply too fast for muscle power — usually at spots like Jaws in swells above 9 to 12 meters. On many other big wave days, paddle-in remains the better, more respected choice.
Tow-in sessions demand a completely different safety setup than paddle-in: the driver is busy towing and can't rescue at the same time. Always plan a separate safety team, agree on emergency hand signals beforehand, and never get on the water with a driver you haven't already drilled these routines with.
Practice the whip-in and release first in small, harmless waves, until timing and communication with your driver become automatic. The technique itself is easier to learn than the trust between driver and surfer — and it's exactly that trust that decides everything on the big day.
Laird Hamilton, Buzzy Kerbox and Dave Kalama developed it in the early '90s, first using a Zodiac boat that towed into waves between 4.5 and 6 meters at Backyards on Oahu. It soon became the jet ski technique they used to tow into Jaws for the first time in 1994, in swells of 12 to 15 meters.
Because past a certain speed, the wave breaks faster than a human can paddle into it. The jet ski solves this by accelerating the surfer to up to 48 km/h before the wave even steepens — speed pure muscle power can't deliver.
Exclusively through fixed hand signals, because engine and wave noise make shouting impossible. Ready, go, abort and emergency must be drilled beforehand until they're automatic — misunderstandings cost decisive seconds in this situation.
Usually only where waves are simply too fast for muscle power — at spots like Jaws in swells above 9 to 12 meters. On smaller big wave days, paddle-in remains the more respected and often safer choice.
Big Wave Surfing: Structured Breath Training