Peʻahi – Jaws

Reviewed 23 Oct 2026 · not observation-validated

Published sources reviewed by SWELLRADAR, not validation against measured breaking waves. Directional references are qualitative ranking inputs, not surveyed optima or complete acceptance windows. The inherited generic 0.6–3.0 m offshore-model band stays unchanged and unvalidated: not a local surf limit, safe learner range or wave-face conversion. Original approximate map pins and location sources remain except the explicitly sourced Peʻahi correction. Explicit sea requests do not survey takeoffs, depth, currents, access or provider-snapped cells. Surfline's original Peahi guide explicitly restricts the break to expert big-wave surfers, identifies reef and extreme current, and describes both paddle and tow. NNW/337.5° is only the coarse centre of its NW–N swell sector, not a surveyed optimum or complete acceptance window; Surf-Forecast instead names NNE, an unresolved guide difference disclosed rather than averaged. SSW wind in Surf-Forecast, E–SE in SurferToday and Surfline's front-dependent ESE-through-S/SW account do not establish one numerical optimum: wind direction scoring and opposite-swell fallback remain off. All-stage wording stays neutral, not validated depth. Luís MP's original SurferToday article explicitly locates the reef at 20.946401/-156.301415, close to Surfline's rendered map at 20.945/-156.298 and the independent Maui Guidebook's cliff-lookout context. The former imported Wikidata pin at 20.938611/-156.260833 was about 4.3 km east and is corrected, not kept merely because it passed a coast-distance test. This remains an approximate published reef marker, not a surveyed takeoff or the onshore lookout. The explicit sea request is recomputed from it and obsolete requested-cell provenance is rejected. Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority distinguishes this big-wave setting from learner beaches; its tow description is not a tow-only rule. Theo Lewitt's original Kai Lenny interview establishes specialist preparation, not a model activation threshold, present contest, permit or rescue roster. Surfline's complete guide was read in the normal browser after a direct fetch returned 403; no restriction was bypassed. Generic novice statistics and present safety/access guarantees are excluded.

• Surfline · original Peahi (Jaws) spot guide

  Original browser-read guide explicitly says expert big-wave surfers only, NW–N swell, calm/front-dependent winds, reef, currents, paddle/tow and all-stage tide. Rendered break-map link is 20.945/-156.298; not a surveyed local range.

• Surf-Forecast · original Peahi/Jaws guide

  Original guide supplies a differing NNE swell reference, independent SSW wind, reef lefts/rights and neutral all-stage tide wording; generic novice statistics are not eligibility evidence.

• Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority · original Surfing on Maui guide

  First-party tourism guide identifies Peʻahi/Jaws east of Hoʻokipa and big-wave tow context, separately directing first-time surfers to other Maui beaches; not a current service or tow-only rule.

• Red Bull · Theo Lewitt's original Kai Lenny Jaws interview, 2017

  Participant's original interview discusses specialist big-wave preparation and getting caught inside at Jaws; historical event context is not a present rescue, contest or access guarantee.

• SurferToday · Luís MP's original Jaws account and coordinates

  Author explicitly gives the offshore break at 20.946401/-156.301415. Broad N swell and E–SE wind differ from other guides; wave-height, equipment, record and safety generalisations are not calibrated or adopted.

• Maui Guidebook · original Jaws and cliff-lookout account

  Independent local description places the cliff lookout at 20.942202/-156.300688, corroborating the area west of the imported pin; lookout coordinates are not substituted as the reef takeoff or current public access.