By the time you paddle into it, it's a real steep takeoff. The thrill is that critical steepness. Observers note that the surfers who really excel at Waimea are generally 35 years and over. These include invited legends such as Hawaii's Titus Kinimaka, Ken Bradshaw and Keone Downing, Richard Schmidt, California, and Aikau. But hot on the heels of the older, big wave generation, are a new breed of big wave riders reflected in the invitation to riders such as Brock Little, Shane Dorian, Ross Williams and three-time Association of Surfing Professional's World Champion Kelly Slater.
Experience is a big part of it.
But a lot of the young guys out there today managed some great rides. It's a totally different feeling today. I didn't go out there thinking of any contest strategy. It's a totally different league being out there with that group of people. Each wave is scored on a scale from 0 to 100.