In the world of big wave surfing, watching the waves can be just as risky as surfing them.
Last Sunday, a TV production crew found themselves in a bit of a predicament when their 22-foot boat capsized while filming surfers at "Jaws," a famous Maui surf break.
As seen in the video above, boats and safety ski patrols were scrambling to get out of the way as a set of massive waves rolled through. The yellow and white boat seen in the right corner of the video was unable to escape the fast moving waves and capsized in the powerful white wash (at :26), just as a surfer simultaneously wiped out in the background.
According to Hawaii News Now, there were eight people on board when the boat flipped over.
"I dove to the floor of the boat and locked my arms underneath the rail and by the motor because I knew the propellers were moving," Paul "Grover" Cleveland, a TV producer who was in the capsized boat, told Hawaii News Now. "I held myself in (the boat) until I felt the boat go completely upside down and capsize."
Cleveland said the surging whitewash hit the boat, pushing it sideways and rolling it over.
Luckily, all eight of the boat's passengers survived with no injuries. Cleveland, however, claims to have lost thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment.
Onlookers at Jaws usually sit in a mild channel, but the recent swell brought waves of up to 30 and 40 feet, sparing no one.
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