In a fitting portrayal of terrifying anticipation, this photo of Grant 'Twiggy' Baker getting caught inside a colossal wave at Puerto Escondido evokes that sinking feeling of knowing something bad's about to happen and being powerless to stop it.

In his own words:

"I arrived the day before the swell but my boards didn't and I paddled out in the dark on a craft way too small," Twiggy said. "Huge with beautiful, clean conditions but I couldn't catch anything while larger waves came and the rips got scary. I saw Healey get one and become more determined, even though my mind is saying, 'don't go.' Finally, the perfect teepee you wait your whole life for came straight to me. I paddled hard, but got stuck on the back of the double-up, pulled back and turned around. My heart stopped, and I was caught inside by the monster under the bed. I sat on my board, stayed calm, slipped off and suddenly the violence was inconceivable. The next one was worse, as was the third."

Photograph by Edwin Morales.