Apart from Mavericks, how many NorCal locations have you seen someone get a slingshot from a jetski? I'll share this picture I took a couple of years ago, this was taken at Montara on a particularly big day in early winter. There was no way anyone could paddle to the break from shore as the inside was a boiling hell hole. I watched these guys catch a couple of awesome waves.
Sick photo. I've seen guys towing around Monterey, not at Ghost Tree, some random reef north of there. It was probably triple overhead or so, but not super steep or hollow. It would actually have been possible to paddle to where they were towing, but the peak was so shifty you wouldn't have wanted to be out there.
I have seen guys tow at OB twice. One time a few winters ago, a buddy of mine and I were out paddling, took a ton of waves on the head, and two tow teams were catching some insane waves, motoring from peak to peak. It felt like the most unfair surfing situation I've ever been in. A few days later I watched a tow team again while I was running. Official word, as far as I understand it, is that towing is a big fat No-Go at OB.
I'm not sure if they have any restrictions on if you are towing an SUP though...
Here's some Ghost Tree footage. I was flying in from San Diego and we could see the waves that day from the plane. It looked big. When it looks big from 30,000 ft. up, you know it's really big.
I know people have towed in at Moss Landing, Scotts Creek, and even Davenport's right but I can't speak to whether or not they could have paddled into it. Some of these sessions I would guess are for towing practice before you go for full-on Mavericks or Ghost Tree sized waves.
@duckdive and @marklukach, et al. I think OB is a protected wildlife area, which means that by default, motorized PWC's are a NONO. Will someone think of the plovers? *PEEP* :D
The giant metal snow plover gods at Sloat & the Chalet provide the snowy plovers all the protection they need.
