Today is Global Wave Wednesday, a day when we should think about what waves mean to us. Waves are a source of inspiration, awe, beauty, (and sometimes fear) for so many of us.

This wave was captured on a trip that I took to the Mentawai islands in Indonesia (click here to read about the trip in The Surfer's Path Magazine). The Mentawais don't get really big waves very often. I was on a boat with a group of old buddies, and we just so happened to time it along with the swell of the season. This was the first spot we checked that morning: Bank Vaults. I was on the first dinghy ride over to scope it out, and then this set wave loomed up and just unloaded onto the outer reef. It literally took my breath away - everyone in the boat was stunned into silence. That single wave was the most incredible combination of beauty and power I have ever seen produced by the ocean - before or since.

The image that is on my website (in the Indo Surf gallery) is a different frame grab of the very same wave. After the wave broke, we all looked at Allen Johnson, the best surfer on our boat and a former professional, to see if he thought we could ride it. All he had to do was shake his head. "Not without a jet ski."

So we puttered away to another spot that was more protected from the swell - and got an amazing session in at E-Bay, then No Kandui, later in the day. But thank goodness we checked Bank Vaults that morning, or that wave would have gone by unwitnessed.

Think today about the great non-profits of the world that keep waves like this breaking and pollution free. Donate to Save The Waves, Surfrider, Wildcoast, or Surfer's Against Sewage today!