HONOLULU -- Surfing championKelly Slatersaved a mom and baby from a monster wave, as surfers from all over the world battled the winter season'sbiggest waves.Surfers from all over the world flock to ride giant, rolling walls of ocean that head toward the north shores of Hawaii every winter.But one of the largest swells in years brought 30- to 45-foot waves to the islands'famed surf breaks Wednesday morning. Even Slatercouldn't make it past the shore breakand was forced back to the safety of the beach.What followed was hours of raw talent and mayhem at Oahu's Waimea Bay and Maui's Peahi -- also known as Jaws -- as the swell rolled on into Thursday.Below, surfer Tom Dosland finds out what happens when Jaws' bites down. Here is a zoomed in Version of Tom Dosland @tommyd_4 Yesterday at Peahi, Maui. Video by @guy__mac #unreal #heavy #crazy #balls A video posted by clark little (@clarklittle) on Jan 28, 2016 at 2:53pm PST Tom Dosland hitting the eject button yesterday at #Jaws. Photo | @aaronlynton pic.twitter.com/zlh4JUsUex World Surf League (@wsl) January 28, 2016 Slater may not have got in on any of Wednesday's action, but he still ended the day as a hero.The 43-year-old champion surfer rescued Australian tourist Sarah White and her baby after a rogue wave swept them all the way to the street,leaving White with scrapes, bruises and a mouthful of sand."So thankful the surf gods denied @kellyslater today cos [sic] for whatever reason he was right there to save my wife and kid who were swept across the road by a freak wave today," wrote her husband, Chris White, on Instagram.Slater said he was just at the right place at the right time."For some random reason I stopped there when I normally don't," Slater commented on Whitey's post. "Lifeguards were on it either way and had it handled." Had some sets today. With @cholomode #clarklittle #Waimea bay mahalo @cathystgermans A photo posted by clark little (@clarklittle) on Jan 27, 2016 at 8:05pm PST Surfers who did make it past Waimea Bay's powerful shore break had to paddle with enough muscle to keep up with the towering, quick-moving waves and, if they were lucky, glide down their nearly vertical faces.Kerry Atwood, a lifeguard who oversees Waimea Bay, said the area is"one of the most famous big wave surfing spots in the world." "Being in the middle of the winter on the north shore, people just can't resist the temptation" to surf it," he told Hawaii News Now.By Wednesday evening, the waves at Waimea Bay had grown so large that lifeguards had to use a jet ski to help at least 25 surfers who couldn't paddle back to the beach by themselves, Hawaii News Now reported.Below, see just how powerful a winter on Hawaii's north shore can be. 'Also on HuffPost: -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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