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< July / August 2000
	Hotline
Some like it Bigger Eugene Buchanan

Whether inspired by "Some Like it Big" (March/April 2000) or not, Bavaria's Arnd Schaftlein is taking big water paddling to frightening heights. His goal: the first-ever kayak surf of Jaws, a monstrous break off Maui's North Shore that oftentimes gets up to 40 feet high—six and a half times as big as many modern playboats.

"I want to do it when the conditions are right and I have the right surf kayak," says an even-keeled Schaftlein, who is having a surfboard designer custom-shape a kayak capable of handling Jaws. "I also need to practice getting towed in behind a Waverunner."

Schaftlein is firmly committed to his gargantuan goal. If he can't find the right person to shape a kayak that will work, he'll do it himself. "Rush Randle (a top wind- and strap-surfer familiar with Jaws) is helping me get the right shape for the boat," says Schaftlein. "It'll be based on a sailboard he's used to windsurf Jaws." The aptly named Rush, a fellow swatch pro team member, will also likely be the person in charge of towing Schaftlein into the monolithic wave.

Locals, of course, think Schaftlein's just a tad loco. "He's 100 percent committed to doing it," says local surf photographer Clay Rogers. "No one else is crazy enough to even think about it."

—edb