Big Wave Danger

No sooner had North County Times reported that safety officials and surfers were looking for ways to deal with the seasonal onslaught of surfers yearning to ride the giant waves like Jaws, on Maui's north shore, than Global Surf News report the tragic death of top-caliber Tahitian surfer Malik Joyeux at the Banzai Pipeline on Friday

Malik was an expert big-wave rider and Pat Kelly, a lifeguard lieutenant with Hawaii's Ocean Safety Division said, "It just shows that this can happen to anybody." Witnesses saw Malik Joyeux suffer a violent wipeout, the force of which broke Joyeux's board in two and tore his leash from his ankle; he was under water for 10 minutes before his body was recovered 200 metres away.

Joyeux's death, has cast a shadow over Oahu's North Shore and clearly put a damper on the Pipeline Masters, the season-ending third leg of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, which begins Thursday. However, the premier surfing contest of the season, celebrating its 35th anniversary, will go ahead as planned.