Makua Rothman, from Sunset Beach, Hawaii, first stood on a surfboard when he was three years old, and by the time he was 11, he was learning the ins and outs of tow-in surfing from legends Darrick Doerner and Laird Hamilton, two of the sport's pioneers and most accomplished competitors. In Nov. 2002, he caught a 66-foot wave at the surf break off Maui known as Jaws. The epic ride won him the top prize of $ 66,000 in the 2003 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards.