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JohnRich

"The Jaws Paradigm"

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In another thread, skydiver51 referred to a Sports Illustrated article titled "The Jaws Paradigm". I hunted it down to see what it was all about.

The article can be found HERE. (pdf format)

"Jaws" is a monster wave place for surfers in Hawaii. And the story is about how it's difficult to control who can attempt to surf these dangerous waves, and how that leads to many injuries, and possibly deaths, as thrill-seekers without the proper equipment or experience attempt to ride Jaws.

The story is very interesting from a surfer's perspective, and has many parallels with skydiving, such as with big-way formations, and canopy swooping.

It's a good read, and thought-provoking.

If you don't have time to read the entire article, then read at least the first page, and the last three paragraphs.

I wish I could cut-and-paste a few quotes, but the document is protected...

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(non article related rant)

I don't like the territorial surfer attitude. "I'm a huge motherfucker from Hawaii and when people don't do as I damnwell please I'm 'a break some faces so I get the RESPECT I earn. BITCHES..."

It's all a bit too boys in the hood for me. Great planet, louzy people (like myself...I know) I guess...

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Maverick's has a divide between those who use the jet skis to toe in, or for rescue. May become moot shortly as jetski may be banned within the protected waters.

That one is definitely more about territoriality and elitism.

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add: the striking parallel really is to all the skydivers that broke all the rules, didn't pay (too great) a price, and now lecture all the younger ones to be safe and progress slowly. These surfers are mostly the same.

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I was in Maui last February and got a chance to see Jaws breaking. It was nothing short of amazing! you would have to have a screw loose to swim out, or be pulled out in that water.
“Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and their hopes and dreams. If I didn’t drink this beer, th

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Quote

It's a good read, and thought-provoking.



Thanks for the link. I agree that it's a good article, and there are definite parallels to skydiving, among other things.

Quote

I wish I could cut-and-paste a few quotes, but the document is protected...



It's not protected text, but rather a series of images. It appears to be a lower-resolution copy of the "camera ready" version that would have gone to the printer. You'd have to run it through an OCR program to get plain text.

Eule
PLF does not stand for Please Land on Face.

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