When the swell suddenly spiked up during Round 2 of the Billabong Pipe Masters, water patrol sprang into action -- and narrowly escaped a heavy closeout themselves.
In recent weeks, the ASP sponsored a safety summit for big wave chargers, which revealed the benefits -- and challenges -- of teamwork in heavy surf. The toll that heavy waves can take was clear with a string of wipeouts at the Big Wave World Tour's Punta Galea Challenge. Plus, catch up on the big wave action from around the world with the XXL Awards' latest submissions.