HAWAII IS THE MOST geographically isolated landmass on the planet, and for some that means only one thing: groundswell. see more Videos at
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The Ten Best Places to
Surf in
Hawaii:
Honolua (
North Shore,
Maui) - This
Video Shot Here
Honolua is one of the magical waves of the world, a flawless right
point that seems to peel into
infinity -- when you happen to catch one. The crowd here is dense, but the joy of one ride makes it all worth it, especially that crisp barrel through the cave section.
Somewhat sheltered from the islands to the north, the swell window here is smaller than most other spots, and thus it works much less often; best on a big
NNW swell.
The trades that plague most of the rest of Maui, work fine here, to make a consistent side-offshore breeze.
Again, when you connect one, the wave is simply magical.
Ehukai
Beach Park (
North Shore, Oahu)
Great place to get the feel of Oahu's North Shore.
Pipeline is immediately to the left, and when it's big enough, it essentially swallows all the peaks of the beach park. Come here to watch
Pipe or sight
Tom Curren; across from
Sunset Beach Elementary.
Laniakea (North Shore, Oahu)
Good place if you're looking to blend in -- the "town" crowd from
Honolulu loves this wave, and thus there are always different faces in the water. There is a shorter, hollow left as well, that can be very fun.
Seen in the big opening along Kam Hwy as you head east from
Hale'iwa.
Caution: parking lot thieves run amuck.
Backyards (North Shore, Oahu)
Very fast, advanced wave with a steep wall, thick lip, and shallow reef below. Good barrels.
Swell magnet from all directions, but works best on a NW swell. Can get very, very big, and often has less of a crowd than other spots. Further out on the point from
Sunset.
Access from the shallows at the tip of the point.
Caution: reef, clean up sets.
Sunset (North Shore, Oahu)
Surely not a wave to be taken lightly though, even at a playful three feet
Hawaiian. The wave turns very fast and hollow as it emerges and walls up quick from deep water; famous inside bowl throws way out for a good, heavy barrel.
You need some length and paddling strength in your board here; very thick wave and can be difficult to get into.
Prepare yourself to get washed and bashed around on the reef when you see that rogue set swing wide from the west; you'll certainly be caught inside.
Caution: shallow reef, heavy lip, clean-up sets.
Hookipa (
Paia, Maui)
Catches everything from the big
WNW's to the easterly windswells. Very exposed to the wind, so get up early before the wind does, and then hit it again late in the afternoon; with
Kona winds, you score!
Park in the parking lot below the bluff, and follow someone else into the water (and out).
Velzyland (North Shore, Oahu)
This marks the end of the "seven mile miracle," the opposite end being
Haleiwa's Ali'i Beach Park. Park along Kam Hwy, and walk through the gate at Sunset Beach
Colony.
Paddle out from directly in front of the peak. The wide open barrel is unreal, but caution: sharp reef, shallow, crowd factor, locals.
Hanalei (North Shore,
Kauai)
Lucky for us, it's a great wave, a peeling right point that works on most winter swell directions. Good fun when it's smaller to grab a longboard and go make friends in the lineup -- then you might find out about those other waves around the way. The bay here is pristine, and so is the town by the same name. On the far north east side of the point, towards the Princeville. Can get very big, and very good.
Canoes (
South Shore, Oahu)
This is the jumping off point for the
Waikiki surf adventure, and the rest of the south shore as well. Every surfer must come at least once, and there are few waves as friendly to teach your new ladyfriend. While generally a friendly wave, this whole shore turns on several times a summer, firing off exceptional waves.
On the south shore you can surf fifteen different spots in a single session, so paddle around and explore -- that's what the
Duke did.
Looking out towards
Diamond Head, imagine the Hawaiian legend of the wave the Duke caught way out on the point and connected all the way to the sand, right where you get your favorite mai-tai -- the restaurant by the name of
Duke's.
- published: 01 Dec 2012
- views: 209