PADDLE POWER: TASMANIA Aussie Laurie Towner strokes into a gargantuan tube at Shipstern's Bluff
Quicktime | Windows Media Player Sure, giant, PWC-assisted waves will always make us stop and say, "Wow!", but ultraheavy paddle-in waves like this make us sit up and go, "Holy S**t!". Maybe even more so since the PWC revolution, there's something to be said for hucking yourself over the ledge while your mates scream in the channel; something about a the comfort of a regular board in an irregular situation and the knowledge that you were the only one that got yourself into this godforsaken mess and only you can pull yourself out. And while Towner insists he "didn't make it" 'cause the spit blew him off the shoulder on this March 11th bomb, his freefall drop and strong line through the bowl earned him rights to one of the best tubes of the year, hands down. Video: Billabong EMAIL this video to a friend