North Shore Lifeguard Maddie Anzivino Tows Jaws After Hustling Across the Pacific

Maddie Anzivino has come a long way from her Bakersfield roots. She graduated from the University of Hawaii where she sailed competitively. She’s a regular in the Red Bull Magnitude Big Wave surfing events. And she is the North Shore’s only full-time female lifeguard.

These days Anzivino’s job is to save lives. But in a way, the ocean saved her life after she dealt with depression in the wake of her mother’s sudden passing. Anzivino candidly explained her struggles in this feature from the WSL and how the ocean (and bigger surf) helped her through that dark time.

"Just getting that rush of being out in huge surf, and once you finally do get that huge wave and it's like the biggest wave you've ever taken off on, it feels like such an accomplishment,” Anzivino said in the article. “It's such a fiery feeling and it really turned my mindset around and it made me so happy."

Born in the grasslands of California, the 31-year-old was raised in Torrance near Los Angeles. She’s now a regular at Waimea Bay and has gained acclaim through the Red Bull Magnitude series. But it was this Jaws wave (her second time there) that got her an entry into the 2024 SURFER Big Wave Challenge .

Anzivino had a difficult time just getting there. The day before the swell hit Maui, she had struck out at Mavericks.

“Any surfer knows the gut-wrenching feeling of not getting a wave, defeated and hopeless,” she said. “I kept checking the forecast to see if Hawaii had any more swells and it looked like a glimmer of hope for Jaws, possibly my last ditch effort to redeem myself so I'm not sitting on this Mavericks failure for the entirety of the summer.”

After having her flight back home to Oahu delayed five hours (thanks, Hawaiian Airlines), she drove to the North Shore to get her gear, then returned to the airport and arrived on Maui at 9:30 p.m. She was ready for a first-light launch.

The next day Anzivino sat in the channel jet-lagged but determined. She waited her turn to get in position while her tow partner Daniel signed for a good one, which apparently was “the most chilling part of the whole experience,” she said. Then the wave arrived. Daniel led her in, she trusted her instincts and held her line.

“I let go of the rope and begin screaming down the face both in fear and in awe that I am surfing this magnificent wave that I have fantasized about for years, and I'm getting better every time I show up,” she said.