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Droplet size distributions (DSDs) measured within a distance of approximately 1 km above the base of shallow maritime cumulus clouds during the Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) field campaign are compared with results of a condensation and stochastic coalescence model, run in the framework of a closed parcel. New measurements of cloud droplets in the critical size range of 30 to 100μm are presented from the 2D-S probe. Observations are also presented of the large-size tail of the sub-cloud aerosol size distribution measured by the forward-scattering spectrometer probe. Results show that droplet growth in this region is dominated by condensation, and the large-size tail of the observed DSDs can be explained with the observed sub-cloud particles, including giant and ultra-giant aerosols. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society