How a Maverick's Photographer Saved Shane Dorian's Life

Editor’s note: Frank Quirarte’s “Twenty-Eight Years at Sea” is a stunning visual testament to nearly three decades chronicling Maverick’s and the wider big-wave realm. After a raucous launch party in Half Moon Bay last week (attended by Flea, Peter Mel, Jeff Clark and more Mav’s legends), we decided to share a snippet of the photobook because it’s too good not to. If you have any interest in surfing history, the book is available for online order here.

The book contains 260-plus pages of exquisite high-res images. There are profiles, stories and adventures detailing everything from Frank’s early Maverick’s days to a Hurricane Katrina relief effort to heroic Cortes Bank rescues. The excerpt below includes various photos with Frank’s perspective of Shane Dorian’s horrific wipeout in 2010, a moment that shook one of the world's best surfers but also served as a catalyst for the inflation vest, which has proven a game-changer for big-wave surfing. 

The day after the 2010 Maverick’s surf contest, one of the most significant wipeouts and rescues in big-wave surfing history occurred. Little did anyone know at the time, but that single event would change the landscape of water safety in big waves as we know it. The morning of February 14th was stunning with perfect weather and a sense of love in the air. The energy from the previous day's Maverick’s event was still high after its incredible success. Chris Bertish, the second South African to win the contest, had emerged as the champion after conquering nearly perfect 50-foot waves. 

However, the real highlight of contest day was Shawn Dollar, a modest underground surfer from Santa Cruz. He paddled into a wave estimated to be around 55 feet high —the biggest wave ever paddled into at that time. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized and recorded his incredible ride, further solidifying Maverick’s' status as one of the premier global big-wave spots. I received a text from Greg Long early the next day, [Feb 15th] smashing my plans of sleeping in after an entire year of planning and living through the effort and drama required to pull off this event. He informed me that the crew was heading back out on Rob Brown's photo boat. The buoy readings indicated that there would still be big waves. I assumed they meant late morning, considering we were all raging at the contest after-party the night before, but they were leaving at first light. 

After a slow start to the morning, I finally made my way out to the lineup. As I cleared Mushroom Rock and headed toward the channel, I was surprised that the waves were just as massive as the previous day, if not bigger. Unfortunately, unlike the contest day, a strong south wind was blowing causing huge warbles up the wave face—not ideal conditions for making a 50-foot drop. After witnessing the first massive set, I jumped off my ski into the cold water, a familiar ritual before tackling Maverick’s or any big-wave session. This time, it was to shake off the remnants of the previous night’s festivities and mentally prepare for what was sure to be a hectic day. Little did I know just how intense it would become. 

The first casualty I encountered was Taylor Paul, former editor of Surfing Magazine and a solid big-wave surfer—and a genuinely great human being. He had just been wiped out by a monster set wave and had dislocated his collarbone. With only a few other skis out that morning and none equipped with rescue experience, we had to carefully maneuver him to avoid worsening his injury. We got him on my ski and, after cautious handling, we got him safely onto Rob Brown’s boat where he was eventually taken to the hospital for proper care. 

With the presence of big-wave tour pros, the lineup was unusually crowded—the peak was overflowing with talent. The “A-Team” included legends like Shane Dorian, Dave Wassel, brothers Greg and Rusty Long, Grant “Twiggy” Baker, Mark Healey, Colin Dwyer, and a young John John Florence, all geared up and ready to take on some monstrous Maverick’s. 

Patrick Shane Dorian, born on July 19, 1972, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii [The Big Island], spent 11 successful years on the World Championship Tour. In 2003, Dorian left the WCT to focus on big-wave surfing. Already a legend for riding some of the world’s biggest waves, including a world record ride at Peahi [Jaws] and many sessions at Waimea Bay, his experience at Maverick’s was still relatively new. 

February 14, 2010, marked only his second time surfing Maverick’s, with his first session taking place just the day before. Admittedly, he was never keen on surfing Maverick’s in the first place and actively avoided it. However, he committed to paddle out since the conditions were all time—now all eyes would be on him and the star-studded lineup. 

Day 1: contest day. Before the contest officially began, a group of surfers took advantage of the warm-up period to chase some morning barrels in excellent conditions. Rusty Long set the bar by paddling into a massive gaping barrel, and Mark Healey followed by launching himself and going vert over a 20-foot ledge. Not to be outdone, Shane Dorian pulled into his first giant Maverick’s barrel, wowing the morning crowd and busting his Maverick’s cherry.

Side note: It’s worth noting that before 2010, the personal inflation vest hadn’t even been invented. Instead, the only flotation options available were impact wetsuits and wetsuits with pockets sewn into them to hold foam and rubber flotation devices. The folks being towed in wore water ski and wakeboard life vests, but those were too big and cumbersome for paddle surfing. Fortunately – or in Shane’s case, unfortunately – things were about to change. 

Day 2: the day after contest day. Dorian’s phenomenal surfing skills were on full display early on. Despite the intense wind and chop, he effortlessly paddled into some of the day’s biggest waves, mixing it up with Long, Twiggy, and Kohl Christensen. 

As the next bomb set approached the lineup, he perfectly positioned himself to paddle in and make the drop. Just like Greg Long or Peter Mel, Dorian is so talented that once he commits to a wave, big or small, he’s gonna make it. This wave was no different. He chipped in, stood up, and began his drop, navigating the bumps as he made his way down the face of the wave. But this was no ordinary wave. It was a monster, pushing close to 50 feet, a massive wall of water that would become the biggest challenge of Shane’s life.

This wave was moving fast, and in the blink of an eye, Shane was already halfway down the face. Out of nowhere, a six-foot ledge formed underneath him, whipped up by the south winds. This forced him to airdrop to the next step. For most, that would’ve been the end of the ride. But not Shane—he managed to regain control like the legend he is. 

Yet, Mother Ocean had other plans. Suddenly, another bump launched him back into the air. He tried to stabilize with his arms out, but it was too much. He lost his footing, high-sided off the front of his board, and flipped forward. The rest of the wipeout was pure chaos. 

In big-wave surfing, when you wipe out, the key is to break through the surface as fast as you can to avoid getting pulled into the vortex. If you don’t, the ocean grabs hold of you with insane force—twisting, pulling, and tossing you around as if it’s trying to rip you apart on purpose for even being out there. Then it drags you through a mess of foam and straight down to the bottom. Surfers compare it to being in a giant washing machine—but this one’s industrial-sized, with no off switch. 

Related: Twiggy Reflects on 20 Years of Surfing, Relationships and Memories From Maverick’s

Unfortunately for Shane, he didn’t penetrate and the energy of the wave sucked him up the face and chucked him over the falls—pretty much the worst-case scenario for any big-wave surfer. Maverick’s has a unique bottom bathemotry. It comprises a series of ledges and valleys, and as the waves break over the top, the whitewater cascades into and fills these empty voids. If you get hung up in the lip, it’ll pull you straight down, making it almost impossible to get back to the surface. 

Shane found himself stuck at the bottom, getting hammered, still attached to his leash. His board broke free from the turbulence and shot up, sticking straight in the air while he struggled below. This is what surfers call “tombstoning”—when you’re pinned underwater while your board stays visible, sticking up like a tombstone. It’s a grim reminder of just how dangerous big-wave wipeouts can be. 

I quickly stashed my gear and held my breath, waiting for him to resurface before I could go for the rescue. Sadly, this wouldn't be the case. Shane was dragged back down multiple times, getting pummeled before he could finally grab his leash and pull himself up for air.

Dave Wassel’s words in the movie Ground Swell hit hard, describing the next wave detonating over the top of his friend’s tombstoning board: “It’s the kind of thing that sticks with you. Seeing that happen is terrifying, knowing what it means: someone’s trapped below, leash stretched tight, like a marker for where they’re fighting to survive,” said Wassel. Just the thought of being pinned under two waves in a row, 20 feet down with another 50-foot monster looming above, is the stuff of nightmares for any big-wave surfer. The force, the pressure—it’s beyond comprehension. Your chances of making it through a two-wave hold-down without getting a breath? Slim. It’s not just about skill for rescuers—it’s a mental game. You’ve got to be ready to deal with surfers who’ve been underwater way too long. When they finally break the surface, they’re usually wrecked—disoriented, gasping, sometimes not even sure which way is up. 

That’s when the rescue driver’s experience matters most. You can’t let panic take over. You’ve got to shove down your own fear, lock-in, and handle it. I’ll never forget watching Shane struggle to break the surface. I knew I had to move—fast. On my first attempt to grab him, the whitewash and current yanked him right back under, dragging him toward the boneyard. He’d managed to suck in a half-breath—a nasty mix of water and air—but he was clearly rattled. To make things worse, my ski started spinning out in the aerated soup left behind by the last wave. The water was so foamy my intake grate couldn’t get a clean pull, leaving me with barely any thrust. That’s when the urgency really hit.

It was beyond frustrating. I tried three, maybe four times, each attempt slipping through my fingers. To make matters worse, I kept having to peel off so I wouldn’t get caught in the impact zone and get flipped myself. I was the only rescuer out there that afternoon. No backup. No safety net. If I missed a pick or got cleaned out, that was it. But there was no time to dwell on that. I made the call—if I didn’t get him on the next pass, I’d ditch the ski, jump in, and grab him. Luckily, I had my PFD and fins, enough to keep us afloat until help arrived—or until I could swim him in. On that next run, I reached down and finally got a solid grip on his wrist. But even then, it wasn’t easy. He’d taped his wrist to seal his wetsuit and gloves, making it slick and hard to hold onto. My fingers kept slipping, but none of that mattered. There was no way fucking way I was letting go—not even if another set wave detonated right on top of us. 

Once I got Dorian onto the rescue sled, I could finally get a good look at him. I checked for any apparent injuries and got him out of the danger zone, safely into the channel. He was rattled, no doubt about it. He asked me to motor away from the lineup and the boats to give him some space to decompress and catch his breath. We’ve been on a ton of big-wave strike missions together, and I’ve seen him take some brutal beatdowns. But this was different. Dorian’s usually the guy who’s unshakable—calm, cool, collected. But not this time. This time he was shaken to the core. He just sat there trying to process it all, muttering to himself, “What the fuck am I doing here? I almost died. I have a family.” Hearing that from one of the best surfers on the planet and a friend was heavy. I’ve been around long enough to have the ghost of Mark Foo in the back of my mind every time I head out. I wasn’t part of the scene when he drowned, but his absence is always felt. Seeing Dorian that close to the edge brought all of that flooding back. “I was underwater, trying to swim up,” Dorian said later. “But the wave kept pinning me down. I didn’t stand a chance against its power. Just when it finally started to let me go, the next wave was already slamming down on top of me. I never got a breath before it dragged me straight to the reef. And I think that’s how most big-wave surfers drown. Your odds drop fast when you’re held down for two waves.” 

Luckily, Shane survived his first Maverick's experience and got to go home to his family on the Big Island. But it shook him enough that he had to reevaluate everything: his life, his priorities, his future in big-wave surfing. His flight wasn’t until the next day, so he crashed at Steve Hawk’s place—Steve used to be the Editor of Surfer Magazine. Steve later recalled seeing Shane lying down, shivering, shaken beyond all measure, and unable to speak. “So insane to see such a great surfer like that,” Hawk said. But sometimes, it’s those near-death moments that spark something new. On the flight home, Shane was still replaying everything in his head when something random caught his eye: the pull tabs on the inflatable life vests during the flight attendant’s safety briefing. That simple detail flipped a switch in his brain. Sitting there, still raw from the experience, he started imagining a new kind of safety device for big-wave surfers. That idea? It would go on to revolutionize big-wave surfing safety forever. 

Click here to buy Twenty Eight Years at Sea online at Mavsurfer.com

How a Maverick's Photographer Saved Shane Dorian's Life first appeared on Surfer on Jul 17, 2025