Do you remember the opening scene of 2003’s excellent surf flick Step Into Liquid? It is Mike Parsons, being towed into absolutely gargantuan Jaws – and the camera work is masterful. It starts with a tight crop of Mike, then pulls back. And pulls back. And pulls back, until he looks like an ant compared to the towering jaw-dropping spectacle of Pe’ahi. For many, this was one of the first encounters with giant waves filmed in this way (by helicopter, back then, drones weren’t a thing for surf films 23-years-ago) and it left a long-lasting impression, 16-year-old me couldn’t scoop his face off the floor fast enough, setting a curiosity with big waves that was further solidified when Mickey Smith, Tom Lowe and Fergal Smith dropped Powers Of Three – which opened up the big wave surf scene in Ireland. Still one of the best surf films to this day, go watch! And it also begs the question – how the heck do those waves form?…