Hawaiian surfer Paige Alms wins the first ever women's event at the giant Maui wave known as "Jaws."
Hawaiian surfer Paige Alms wins the first ever women's event at the giant Maui wave known as "Jaws."
BRIAN BIELMANN/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
The waves at Jaws -- real name Peahi -- can sometimes reach 60ft high.
The waves at Jaws -- real name Peahi -- can sometimes reach 60ft high.
Darryl Oumi/Getty Images North America/Getty Images for TAG Heuer
The break, which only comes to life at certain times of the year, is situated on the north coast of the Hawaiian island of Maui near the town of Wailea.
The break, which only comes to life at certain times of the year, is situated on the north coast of the Hawaiian island of Maui near the town of Wailea.
Darryl Oumi/Getty Images North America/Getty Images for TAG Heuer
Wind and chop on the wave faces can make it a bumpy and treacherous ride.
Wind and chop on the wave faces can make it a bumpy and treacherous ride.
BRIAN BIELMANN/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Wipeouts can be brutal -- surfers wear buoyancy aids and sometimes spare air to help in the event of being held down beneath the giant waves.
Wipeouts can be brutal -- surfers wear buoyancy aids and sometimes spare air to help in the event of being held down beneath the giant waves.
BRIAN BIELMANN/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Jet skis tow surfers into the waves and are on hand for safety to whisk them away from the impact zone when they fall off.
Jet skis tow surfers into the waves and are on hand for safety to whisk them away from the impact zone when they fall off.
BRIAN BIELMANN/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Hawaiia's Billy Kemper won the men's version of the 2016 Peahi Challenge at Jaws.
Hawaiia's Billy Kemper won the men's version of the 2016 Peahi Challenge at Jaws.
BRIAN BIELMANN/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Big-wave warriors: women take on mighty 'Jaws'

Story highlights

Women take on giant waves off Maui

Peahi wave is known as "Jaws"

First women's big-wave event

CNN  — 

They hurtle down huge walls of water defying injury or worse, but these are not your typical big-wave warriors.

For the first time, women competed alongside the men in the Pe’ahi Challenge – a surfing event at the infamous “Jaws” break off the Hawaiian island of Maui.

Riding liquid mountains more than 30ft high, 12 pioneering women braved giant surf in the inaugural Women’s Big Wave Tour event.

“We’re incredibly proud to be introducing a women’s event this season,” Big Wave Tour commissioner Peter Mel told the World Surf League website ahead of the competition.

“These ladies are some of the most dedicated, passionate and talented big-wave surfers on the planet. It will be phenomenal to witness them tackle Pe’ahi.”

Jaws, which is officially known as Pe’ahi, was first ridden in the 1990s by surfers using a colleague driving a jet ski to tow them in to the wave.

The huge swells – sometimes up to 60ft high – were initially thought to move too fast to paddle into like traditional surfers, but the paddle-in movement has grown in recent years.

The jet skis are also used to rescue fallen surfers from the impact zone before another huge set of waves crashes over them.

The surfers are highly tuned athletes who train specifically for the challenge of riding big waves, including the ability to hold their breath for long periods of time in the event of being held underwater by the violence of the waves.

Maui local Paige Alms, 28, won the women’s title at Pe’ahi, while another Hawaiian Billy Kemper topped the 24-strong men’s competition.

“I still feel like it’s kind of a dream, but I can’t believe it,” Alms told the World Surf League after her win. “What a blessing to be out there with just a couple girls. That was special, for sure.”

Women have long lobbied for a big-wave event but organizers have typically argued there was insufficient strength in depth to warrent a competition.

Some big-wave spots such as Mavericks at Half Moon Bay in California were considered too dangerous for women, although the Titans of Mavericks event will also feature a women’s competition this year.

Surfing in giant waves can be deadly even for the most experienced surfers. Famous big-wave rider Mark Foo drowned at Mavericks in 1994, while Hawaii local Todd Chesser died surfing a huge swell on an outer reef off the North Shore in 1997.