Grant Washburn: "You hear guys laughing, but sometimes it's nervous laughter. It's sort of like a horror movie, where you're on the edge of your seat and so scared, you'll laugh at anything. Out at Maverick's, the jokes are funnier."

Mark Renneker: I had a wipeout, years ago, that drove me all the way to the bottom. I was bouncing along the reef, then went deeper still into some chasm. I was thinking, 'This is really bad. I'm deeper than anyone's ever been out here.' I knew that if a second wave went over me, I was done. I was able to stay calm, knowing I'd practiced holding my breath for situations like this. But I've marked in my mind where it happened. I'm afraid of that place."

Doug Acton: "This was taken during the infamous '100-foot swell' in November 2001, some of the most extreme shooting conditions I've ever experienced. Clouds, rain, winds from all directions—Mother Nature threw it all our way. I was down to my backup camera, with only eight shots left, when this bomb started feathering. I used up the roll on this Flea Virostko wave, then got the distinct feeling I had to get out of there. Heading in, I felt for the first time that any kind of mistake could be my last. There were no breaks between sets, cutting off all the normal routes. When I rounded Mushroom Rock, I had to negotiate two feet of foam covering the entire inner reef. It was insane. It never felt so good to get back to the dock and touch dry land."

Matt Ambrose: "Big paddle-in days work on my nerves more. You have times when you think the sky's gonna fall. Towing in, you don't understand as much what the consequences are. It doesn't seem as big as it is. The fear factor is definitely worse when you're laying down on a surfboard."

Mike Brumett: "The incredible part is that a Maverick's wave might be 10 feet tall up the back, and the front can be 50. It's like you're below sea level when you're dropping into some of those waves. I get goose bumps just thinking about it."

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