Surfer Paddles Into Gem at Pumping Todos Santos

December 29 dawned big and blue at Todos Santos. A day before, the northwest swell of the winter crashed into California, rendering Mavericks a tow-only ordeal. The next day, the waves peaked in Baja’s Isla Todos Santos, a pair of islands 12 miles off the coast of Ensenada.

It was big, glassy and clean, a picturesque day for Jojo Whelan, of Newport Beach, California, who was reportedly one of the standout surfers of the swell. He and his friends pulled up to the scene around 7 a.m. Only two or three boats were in the channel, Jojo said, and two surfers were in the water (they immediately got cleaned up by a set). They later learned the local harbor had been shut down because the incoming swell was so large that morning.

After getting some fun in-betweener sets, Jojo paddled 20 yards to the outside shelf to wait for a bomb. He didn’t have to wait long.

Here’s his retelling of the ride in full. “I always like to sit a little deeper than most people out there, so when I saw that this wave was shaping up to hit the west peak, all I remember is scratching out and towards the channel,” he said. “As I was midway up the face I swung around and took two maybe three strokes into it. I remember briefly seeing the other boys scratching to get over it as I was taking off. When I hit the bottom of the wave I had so much momentum going downwards, that I almost went over the handlebars. I was a little too deep to make it around the corner, so I braced for the impact (which wasn’t bad at all). After coming back up I paddled out to the boat. My buddies Sean and Jared were shouting from the boat. I didn’t realize the size of the wave I had just caught. It felt like any other wave at Todos. A quick review of the photos proved me wrong.”

Related: Video: Jojo Whelan Scores Wave Of The Day At Grande Todos Santos