Ben Marcus’ Crouching Tiger, Smoking Dragon

Ben Marcus explores the Yin and Yang of big wave tow surfing with jet skis. The story traces tow surfing at Mavericks’ birth by Doug Hansen and Perry Miller when jet skis were shunned upon. The pair succeeded on days that were too big for padding and soon the tow teams increased in the line. But the debate still raged online at www.MavSurfer.com where locals vocalized their disapproval of towing. Doc Renneker points out the environmental impacts of jetskis. The trend hits Hawaii, where Mokuleia resident Michael McNulty led the offense against jetskis at Hammerheads. The World Tow Association forges a compromise with the Department of Land and Natural Resources in Hawaii to draft rules for responsible tow surfing. The story continues with more huge tow days at Maverick’s, Laird Hamilton at Jaws to Larry “Flame” Moore’s Project Neptune uncovering The Cortes Bank.