Worth the Wait: Big-Wave Crew Scores Todos Santos After Contest Leaves Town

All eyes were on Todos Santos last weekend for the Thrillers at Killers contest, a specialty big-wave contest in Mexico where some of the most intrepid chargers in the world battled it out in 30-foot monstrosities. But a lucky few scored a nearly empty lineup at the same famed big-wave joint just a few days later.

The swell, which arrived on the Tuesday after the contest, read bigger on the buoys (and with a shorter , more west period) compared to the contest swell. I was looking at the forecast and was a bit skeptical because there was some south wind and bad weather on the charts. The day before the swell, Jojo Roper called and invited me to go shoot. Apparently there was to be a window with good conditions in the morning.

Jojo and I were joined by Greg Long, Jamie Mitchell, Bianca Valenti, Paige Alms and Skylar Lickle, all who had just participated in the contest. The idea was to leave early with jet skis, but at 7 p.m. we got a call that the harbor was closing, and no skis were going to be allowed. So, Jojo, Jamie, and I decided to leave by Pangas before the sun rose. The conditions were better than I thought–the wind was light and the sun even came out. It was a great session without a crowd, something you don't get too often these days.

Photos, intro and caption by Frederico Pompermayer.