Surfing Hawaii

8/11/2019 Surfing Hawaii

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Surfing HawaiiA Complete Guide to the

Hawaiian Islands Best Breaks

Rod Sumpter

www.falcon.com


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CHAPTER 1

Big Island

Start your journey on the Big Island by landing at Keahole Kona InternationalAirport on the western coast (leeward side). This is the best side of the islandfor surf.Indeed, in ancient times many kings made their home here due to the excellent

weather, good water, and consistent waves. Later, missionaries built churches and resi-

dences, turning the tiny fishing village of Kawaihae Harbor into a small seaport andreducing the size of this classic surf spot.

The best surf is nestled at the bottom of the Hualalai Volcano, where a west swell

creates a dozen or more classic breaks. When youre gliding in to land and peering out

at swell sweeping in evenly around jet-black lava, you know youre in for some tasty

waveswaves that break in the same spot time and time again. It doesnt take long for

you to realize that the Big Island of Hawaii is big in every sense of the word.Driving time

to the North Shore or to the east coast from the Kona airport is three to four hours.

The surf on the Big Island is fickle. Its blocked from the main source of northwest

winter swells because its in the shadow of the other islands swell-window.The big win-

ter surf on the North Shore of Oahu may never reach the Big Island; still, a swell will get

through from time to time.You may find it breaking at one spot, yet half a mile on either

side is flat even though the underwater topography is similar.This amazing phenome-

non is still a mystery and the talk of many surfers on their first visit here. It may be that


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Kepuh

iPoint

Akoakoa

Point

Kohola

Point

Pepeekeo

Point

Lele

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Mano

Point

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Point

M

alae

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Haena

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Upolu

Airport

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WaialeaBay

KawaihaeBay

Kamakoa

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Kaula

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Resort

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Onomea

Falls

Akaka

Falls

HiloIntl.

Airport

Keahole

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Wainaku

Kawaenui

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ailea

Honohina

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Kalaoa

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Kaupulehu

Kiholo

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imea

H

ILO

Hawi

Ho

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MiloVillage

Kaunuo

Kaleihoo

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5,480

ft.

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13,631ft.

Hualalai

8,271ft.

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4/24

Kalol

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Kipu

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Kalepa

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Waipu

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Kaena

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Kapaoo

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P

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Ka

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(South

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Kauna

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Kamoi

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Honolulu

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MahukaBay

KawaBay

HonuapoBay

MahanaBay

PohueBay

OkoeBay

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AlahakaBay

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Hion

amoa

Observatory

RedHill

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MaunaLoa

Observatory

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LavaFlow,Road

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Kaalualu

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Kilauea

Caldera

10,092ft.

12,423ft.

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6167ft.

Puu

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PohakuHanalei

13,679ft.

HawaiiVolcanoe

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NationalPark

HawaiiVolcanoes

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Hawaii

Volcanoes

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Pinetrees

Clays

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Banyans

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Ke`ei,KealakekuaBay

Hookena

MiloliiBeachPark

Punaluu

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Kaalualu

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Halape

Kaimu

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Kahalu`uBeachPark


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its created when the swell is channeled though underwater passages and canyons.

In any event, the Big Island is a surfing education. Just about everything you

thought you knew about surf will puzzle you here, at least at first. Barefoot walking on

sharp,smooth,and twisted lava (boots are rarely used) takes some getting used to.Then

there are tan, black, and white beaches and more black lava than youve ever seen in

your life.Day in and day out, you are under the spell of the mountains and the weather.

The Big Island will sharpen up your thought processes.You need to handle it as locals

doas part and parcel of surfing great waves.

The north coast of Hawaii hosts classic remote surf below valleys; far beneath these

200-foot cliffs lie stunning beaches and seascape beauty. The south coast features

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.On the east coastwhere it rains all the timethe best

breaks are at the base of the long, slow-sloping mountain called Mauna Loa (long

mountain, 13,679 feet), which lies near the geographic center of the island. Sixty mileslong and 30 miles wide, it consists of lava often described as iron-hard, making it the

densest and most massive mountain on earth. Nearby, Mauna Kea, the worlds tallest

mountain (33,467 feet measured from its base on the ocean floor), stretches toward

the stars.

From its frigid summit, powerful telescopes are trained on the outer reaches of the

universe.Youll surf under its spell where it enters the water; look back to land from the

takeoff spot, and the scene is breathtaking. The whole mood is ever-changing as

weather systems circulate from the mountain peaks and down to the sea, heralding

new swells and storms. Depressions appear, and the march of swell lines grows.

The grandeur of the Big Islandalso known as the Orchid Isleincludes some of

the worlds tallest mountains, deepest valleys, plunging waterfalls, and 266 miles of

coastline.With long, straight highways, its a drivers dream,for the most part well signed

and boasting high-quality, sealed roads.At 95 miles long and 80 miles wide,the islands

total land area is 4,038 square milesmore than the other three major islands com-

bined. Indeed, the Big Island makes up more than 63 percent of the land area of allthe

Hawaiian Islands. Its also the youngest island, at a mere 500,000 to 800,000 years old.

(Only Lo`ihi, a seamount to the east that hasnt yet broken the surface, is younger than

Hawaii.)

And its still growing.Kilauea Crater on its southeastern end has flowed actively into

the sea and taken and given new surf spots. It seems that Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of

fire, is constantly creating and re-creating this magical spot.

18 SURFING HAWAII


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Upolu

When you arrive at this great surf spot, youll see black sand and thundering peaks far

below you, while waves line up, dash against the cliff, and peel.This remote black-sand

beach has a right-hand point break and collects a raw northwest, north, and northeast

swell in winteroften triple overhead. Its a big-wave rider spot most of the time. On

small days youll need hiking and climbing experience to get in and out. Park at Upolu

Lookout and hike down a difficult 300-foot path through rivers and streams to the

beach.

BIG ISLAND 19

Best Tides: Low.Best Swell Direction: North.

Best Wave Size: Waist to double overhead.

Bottom: Sand.

Type of Break: Left and right.

Skill Level: Expert to big-wave rider.

Best Boards: Shortboard and gun.

Best Seasons: Fall and winter.Crowds: Never crowded.

Water Quality: Clean.

Hazards: The hike in is steep and difficult.

Fees and Permits: No fee or permits are

required.

Schedule: Public access 24/7.

Finding the Break

Turn left out of the airport onto Queen Ka`ahumanu Highway (Hawaii Route 19); at

Kawahae, turn left again onto Hawaii Route 270 and continue to the end of the road.

When you park and look out over the ocean, youll see the trail down to the beach. Its

61.7 miles from the Kona airport.

Surf Description

Big, deep, heavy waves are the order of the day as a strong north swell hits. Its 10 feet

plus and one of the biggest ridable beach breaks on the island. The dark to black sand,high hills, and remotenessits like Jurassic Park herewill all put you in a time warp.

Its you and the waves and nature and nothing else.

Situated at the end of Upolu Valley Lookout, the scenery in this spot is amazing:

300-foot sheer mountain cliffs plummet into the sea for 30 miles. The hike is for the

experienced hiker-surfer only. Itll take you an hour on the trail, crossing lagoons and

streams and navigating difficult overgrown paths. Once you reach the black-sand

beach, youll have it all to yourself. The waves are often powerful, with long, sloping

crests and thick backs ideal for a 7-foot,10-inch mini gun.Theres bounce off the cliff, so

the takeoff can be a lurch up to double overhead on a 6- to 8-foot day.

A few teams of surfers have hired a helicopter and pilot to fly them in during the

morning, then airlift them out in the afternoon. Six surfers sharing the cost make this a

viable option.This could apply to many other remote beaches around the island.


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Upolu is an ideal spot for advanced surfers to test their mettle as well as their sur-

vival and surf planning skills. For the rest of us, however, its suitable only as a place to

watch the experts from the fabulous viewing platform of the Upolu Valley Lookout.

Local Events/Attractions

Kamehameha I Birthsite State Monument. Drive 1.6 miles southwest of the Upolu air-

port on the KawaihaeMahukona Highway (HI 270). Turn off onto the Upolu Airport

Road,then onto a coastal dirt road to find the memorial.The boulders within the site arethought to be the great kings birthstones.

20 SURFING HAWAII

Upolu, Big Island. PHOTO ROD SUMPTER

Kawaihae Harbor is a left-hand reef break off breakwater; its

best in winter and needs a big northwest swell. Kawaihae was a

royal center where Ka`ahumanuKing Kamehamehas favorite

wifewas known to have ridden the waves. It remained

Kamehamehas residence from about 1790 to 1794 while he

planned the invasion of the other Hawaiian Islands.


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Spencer Park. A mostly flat, bodyboarding spot with the occa-

sional shortboard wave, this fickle area misses all the north

swells, but it likes a south swell with a lot of west in it to create a

fun wave.The shallow-water offshore coral reef does pick up theodd swell. Youll also find lots of marine wildlife, showers, rest-

rooms, pavilions, electricity, picnic tables, tennis courts, and

tent/trailer camping (with a county permit).

BIG ISLAND 21

Hapuna Beach. A popular beach and park, this white sandy

stretch of paradise has beach, reef, and point surf in the winter,

but its a fickle place to get on. Lifeguard year-round; hot body-

boarding when theres surf. Its found off Queen Kaàhumanu

Highway at mile marker 19.

Kiholo Bay. Reef breaks and a mixture of salt and fresh water

with a rocky lava islands and black-pebble beaches give this surf

spot a surreal beauty. Its surrounded by private property, but

there is public access to the beach. Turn off Hawaii Route 19 at

mile marker 82 for a panorama of the bay. To go in, you have to

hike from the highway down a long road to the ocean.

Kaunaòa Beach (Mauna Kea) is a hot winter bodyboarding spot

best in a west-to-southwest swell. Kaunaòa unfolds like a white

crescent sand dune and is 200 yards wide. Hotel-owned body-

board rentals are available. Public parking places are limited

its first come, first served. Enter through the gate to the Mauna

Kea Beach Resort, off Hawaii Route 19.

Anaehoomalu Bay (pronounced a na-ay ho-o mah-loo) is adjacent

to the Royal Waikoloan Hotel. A windsurfing and bodyboarding

spot, its a postcard-perfect white-sand beach with a sky-blue

lagoon and groves of coconut trees. Also known as A-Bay, its thefirst beach after nearly 30 miles of the blackness of Kohalas lava

flows. Off Queen Kaàhumanu Highway, between mile markers

76 and 77, a well-marked access road leads to the bay.


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22 SURFING HAWAII

Old Airport State Recreation Area. A break in the outer reef here

may offer a wave when everywhere else is flat. Hot waves to

double overhead, and steep rights and lefts; be sure to wear

beach booties when entering the water to avoid cutting your-

self on the rocky bottom. To reach the beach, follow the shore-

line north from King Kamehamehas Kona Beach Hotel for a few

hundred yards. Camping is not technically allowed at Old KonaAirport, but many choose to pitch their tents anyway. The

beachs gates close at 8:00 P.M.

Mahaiula Bay, Kona Coast Park. This is a right-hand break with a

neat wall from a peak over a sand-and-lava bottom. It also goes

left into the rocksnot recommended! The paddle out is tough,

although the long lulls between sets will help.A beach launch iseasy but takes ten minutes because of the distance. This is a

good spot for bodyboards, shortboards, and longboards on the

right day; best with a northwest-to-north swell. The parks gate

is off Hawaii Route 1 between mile markers 90 and 91, at a sign

that reads KONA COAST STATE PARK. Drive in, stop about 100 yards

before the boat-launch parking lot, and take the lava trail to the

right.The park opens at 9:00 A.M.

Makalawena is a bodyboarding beach break with a white-sand

crescent beach.Turn off at mile marker 88 and park;to reach the

beach youll need either a twenty-minute walk or four-wheel

drive. No facilities.


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Contents

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Surfing Hawaii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

How to Use This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

How Waves Are Formed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Tides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Wind Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Types of Breaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Learning to Surf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Big-Wave Surfing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Coming to Hawaii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Getting Around on the Hawaiian Islands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Surfing Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

1. Big Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Upolu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Kawaihae Harbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Spencer Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Kaunaòa Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Hapuna Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Anaehoomalu Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Kiholo Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Makalawena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Mahaiula Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Old Airport State Recreation Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Pinetrees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Clays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Hanos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Banyans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Lymans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Magic Sands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Kahaluù Beach Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Keèi, Kealakekua Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Hookena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Milolii Beach Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Kaalualu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Honuapo Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Punaluu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Halape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Keauhou Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Apua Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35


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Pohoiki First Bay, Second Bay, and Third Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Kaimu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Richardsons Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Kealoha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Bay Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Honolii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Waipiò . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Waimanu Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Big Island Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

2. Maui . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Subs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Coconuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Honolua Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

The Cave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Slaughterhouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

The Stables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

D.T. Fleming Beach Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Golf Balls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Little Makaha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Napili . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

S-Turns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Embassy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Rainbows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Osterizers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Black Rock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Kaànapali Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Mala Wharf. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Lahaina Harbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Lahaina Reefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64Shark Pit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Hot Sands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Puamana Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Launiupoko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Olowalo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Ukumehame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

1000 Peaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

McGregor Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Maàlaea Pipeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Housing Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Kihei . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Kalama Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Dumps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

viii CONTENTS


12/24

La Perouse Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Hamoa Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Koki Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Hana Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Wailea River Mouth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Wailea Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Keànae Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Honomanu Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Jaws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Hoòkipa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Lanes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Kuau Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Paia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82Baldwin Beach Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Kanaha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Kahului Harbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Paukukalo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Waiehu Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Honokahau Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Wind Mills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Maui Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 883. Molokai. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Moòmomi Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Kepuhi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Kawakiu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Papohaku . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Kapukahehu (Dixie Maru) Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Halo O Lono Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

The Wharf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95Pohakuloa Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Halawa Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Molokai Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

4. Lanai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Polihua Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Hulopoè Beach Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Manele Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Sharks Cove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Naha Beach (Fishermans Shack) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Lopa Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Makaiwa Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Halepalaoa Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Keomuku Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

CONTENTS ix


13/24

Shipwreck (Kaiolohia) Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Lanai Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

5. Oahu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Revelations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Phantoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Velzyland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Freddyland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Backyards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Sunset Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Sunset Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Vals Reef . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Kammieland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Monster Munch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Rocky Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Gas Chambers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Turkey Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Pupukea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Ehukai Beach Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Banzai Pipeline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Second Reef . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Third Reef . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135Backdoor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Off the Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Insanities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Rockpile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Log Cabins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Outer Log Cabins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Peles Followers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Three Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Waimea Bay Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Pinballs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Waimea Shore Break . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Elephants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Marijuanas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Alligator Rock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Left Overs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Right Overs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Pidleys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Chuns Reef. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Jockos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Laniakea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Himalayas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

x CONTENTS


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The Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Pua`ena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Haleiwa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Toilet Bowl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

Avalanche . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

The Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Hammerheads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Silva Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Mokuleia Beach Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Day Star Army Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Kaena Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Yokohama Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Kea`au Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162Makaha. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Klausmeyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Turtle Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Pokai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Maili Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Tumble Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Maili Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Shorebreak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Power Plant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Kahe Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Bathtubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Barbers Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Officers Surf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Coves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Shark Pit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Lots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Sea Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Ewa Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Sand Trails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

Incinerators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

Point Panic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

Kewalos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Marine Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Big Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171Concessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Tennis Courts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Baby Haleiwa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Bamburas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

CONTENTS xi


15/24

Magic Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Ala Moana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Rockpile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

In-Betweens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Fours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Kaisers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Threes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Paradise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Populars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Canoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Waikiki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Cunhas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Queens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178Kuhio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Sans Souci . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Publics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Castles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Old Mans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Ricebowl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Tongs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Graveyards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179Suicides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Sleepy Hollow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Diamond Head Lighthouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Cliffs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

Ka`alawai Point (Browns) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

Mahoney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

Kahala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

Ka`alawai Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

Black Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Wailupe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Toes Reef . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Taiko Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Turtles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Pole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Fingers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

China Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Portlock Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Sandy Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Half Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Full Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

xii CONTENTS


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Pipe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Littles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Irmas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Middles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Generals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Suicides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Makapu`u . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Rabbit Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

Waimanalo Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

Bellows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

Lanikai Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

Mokulua Islands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Flat Island (Popoia Island) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191Kailua Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Kailua Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

North Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Sugar Mill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

Kanenelu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Polynesian Cultural Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Pounders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Malaekahana Bay, Goat Island (Moku`auia Island) . . . . . . . 194Seventh Hole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Kahuku Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Turtle Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

Kawela Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

Oahu Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

6. Kauai. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

Hanalei Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

The Bowl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204Middle Break . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Pinetrees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Wai Cocos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Tunnels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Cannons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

Hanakapiai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Kalalau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Polihale Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Fishermans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Rocket Reef . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Barking Sands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

Whispering Sands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

Kini Kini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

CONTENTS xiii


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Introduction

You know, there are so many waves coming in all the time,

you dont have to worry about that. Just take your time

waves come. Let the other guys go; catch another wave.

Duke Kahanamoku

Surfing HawaiiThe United States is blessed with waves of all kinds, from the best in the world to the

worlds most difficult. To find the best of the best of these waves, you need only go to

Hawaii, where some of the worlds leading waves thunder in for prime surfing. Today

there are more famous surf spots per mile in the Hawaiian Islands than anyplace else

on earth.

Comprising eight major islands in the central Pacific Ocean,Hawaii stands alone as

the worlds first and foremost surfing mecca. This is the place where surfing began andwhere todays best surfers come to test their skills against natures toughest waves.

Among these islands,Oahu and Maui stand apart, offering up some of the Aloha States

finest surf.Warm waters, blue-turquoise seas, and mountainous groundswells from the

Pacific give Hawaii its legendary surf.


19/24

It is the North Shore of Oahu where surfing is at its peak. From December to March

you can see 30-foot-plus surf at Waimea Bay and Kaena Point. Maui does quite well on

its own, with places like Jaws, which may break at 60 feet, and Honolua Bay often offer-

ing surfers the perfect wave. Overall, whats on offer at most of Hawaiis breaks are

short, fast, vertical, and powerful waves with hard sand or sharp coral waiting to break

a leg. Hawaii is not for the fainthearted. Many a surfer has grown up, grown older, and

grown wiser at the hands of the most gripping waves in the world at places like Sunset

Beach, with its bigger-than-life peak; Banzai Pipeline, ready to maim; and Chuns Reef,

ready to give longboarders the best fun of an entire trip.

And theres so much more. Sandy Beach pounds out bodyboards like its a stamp

machine. Waikikis outrigger canoeists surf Diamond Head alongside longboarders.

And Hawaiian surfing legend Buffalo Keaulanas Big Board Surfing Contest is held every

February at Makaha. In Hawaii surfing is epic.With perfect swells from tropical weather systems originating in the Aleutians and

Alaska, long-distance groundswells provide powerful winter surf to these islands from

November to March. Of the eight islands, Oahu, Maui, Kauai, the Big Island (Hawaii),

Molokai, and Lanai can be surfed,while Ni`ihau and Kaho`olawe are off-limits.There are

also twenty-nine atolls on what is called the Northwest Hawaiian Islands; these are

open to ocean surfing, tow-in surfing, and extreme launch-ins from boats. There is

plenty to discover in these Hawaiian Islands if you have the will and respect the local

traditions, peoples, and their way of life.You also need to respect Mother Oceanyourlife will depend on it.

How to Use This GuideSurfing Hawaii starts with the notion that every wave is different. The reasons for this

are very complicated, as youll see in the sections that follow. Put simply, however, if

youd like to have a full wave repertoire and a continually rewarding surfing experience,

you must travel and challenge all kinds of conditions.To surf well you need to visualize

your movements. And so a surfers dream wave develops as a vision out of advancing

ability and technique.The only real way to satisfy a craving for progress is by surfing dif-

ferent and better breaks on the other side of the hill.

This book is a guide for the beginner and the expert alike. It accommodates the

needs of all grades of surfer and describes every location comprehensively with the

facts you need to know. All the best and named longboarding, shortboarding, body-

boarding, and bodysurfing locations in the Hawaiian Islands are covered. The book is

organized in the order of the islands as the sun rises and sets across them from east to

west, beginning with the Big Island and ending with Kauai.

All the surf spots in this book, both featured and secondary spots, are arranged in

geographical order and are listed counterclockwise from the north side of each island.

Names of featured spots appear in boldfaced type in the contents and on the maps.

The featured spot listings contain directions, detailed information, and surfer ratings,

2 SURFING HAWAII


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which include beginner, novice, learner, intermediate, experienced, expert, advanced,

and big-wave rider. Thumbnail surfing photos indicate secondary spot listings, which

contain short descriptions and useful facts.

How Waves Are FormedThe most common cause of waves is wind action in the open ocean. Earthquakes and

volcanic eruptions beneath the ocean can cause seismic sea waves, but these surging,

killing walls of water are rare. Storms in the open ocean, on the other hand, are quite

common.They provide the sport of surfing with ridable waves as a result of variations

in air pressure that force gusty winds upon the oceans surface. If the wind is strong and

steady enough, it will form chop over a large area referred to as a sea or wind fetch. As

these wind waves are blown downwind, they become longer, smoother, and more

organized and take the form of what is known as a groundswell or wave trains. A swell

is what we recognize as the marching lines of energy that travel across the open ocean;

theyre called corduroy upon reaching a shore. Swells can travel thousands of miles

without losing much energy until they hit shallow water on our shores to form a break-

ing wave. Hawaiis huge surf is a result of long-distance groundswells and wave trains

from faraway storms.

North and northwest swells or wave trains are produced by storms in the North

Pacific in winter months and are the largest and most powerful.West swells are created by storms in the West Pacific and are most common in fall

and spring.

South and southwest swells are generated by storms in the South Pacific in our

summer months and can also result in overhead good-size waves.

Wind swellis a term used to refer to less consistent and usually smaller waves that

are produced by storms or strong

winds within a couple of hundred

miles of the coast.

Waves generated by the wind

may range in height from less than

an inch to as much as 60 feet. Ocean

wave size is determined by the wind

velocity, the fetch, the length of the

area affected by the wind, and the

length of time the wind blows. Big

surf is made by large, long-lasting

storms with strong winds far out at

sea. Surf forecasters today can pre-

cisely determine when large waves will hit a particular spot on the coast by using

weather data and computer models.

INTRODUCTION 3

The Hawaiian Islands are grouped

closely together, with each island casting

a swell shadow across its neighbors.

Only those coasts open to the direct

swell path receive wave trains or the full

force of the waves; blocked or shad-

owed islands receive waves of smaller

size, or they may even be flat.


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OAHU

KAUAI

NIIHAU

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

P A C I F I C O C E A N

Kapaa

Puuwai

Honolulu

Lihue

Wahiawa

Kaneohe

Eloele

Waialua

Pearl City

EwaLanikai

159

159

19

21

Kau

lakahiCha

nnel

Ka

ua

iC

ha n

nel

Kaiw

i

SCALE RF 1 : 2,500,000

Kilometers

Miles0 50

1000


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HAWAII (BIG ISLAND)

MAUI

KAHOOLAWE

LANAI

MOLOKAI

Ka loh i Channe

l

Kolekole

Mauna Kea

Mauna Loa

Kilaueaiki CraterKilauea Crater

Kualapuu

Lanai City Lahaina

Hawi

Hilo

Wailuku

KalaupapaKalawao

Paia

Halawa

Nakapala

Keaukaha

Volcano House

Pahala

Captain Cook

Kaalualu

157 155

157 155

19

21

CapeKumukahi

Ka Lea(South Point)

Keahole Point

Puakea Point

Ch

annel

Pailolo

Channel

Auau

Channel

Kealaika

hiki

Channel

Alenu

ihah

a Cha

nnel

EW

S

No rth


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MAP LEGEND

Accommodations

Airport

Gate

Overlook

Point of Interest

Structure

Towns / Cities

Waterfall

Peaks

Campsites

Craters

Highways

Major Roads

Trail

Rivers / Creek

Park Boundary

H1

78


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Copyright 2005 by The Globe Pequot Press

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form

by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by

any information storage and retrieval system,except as may be expressly permitted by

the 1976 Copyright Act or by the publisher. Requests for permission should be made in

writing to The Globe Pequot Press, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, Connecticut 06437.

Falcon and FalconGuide are registered trademarks of The Globe Pequot Press.

Spine photo Andrew Sarnecki/Brand X Pictures

All interior location photography courtesy of author Rod Sumpter. Stock thumbnail

surfing imagery with secondary spots Brand X Pictures.

Text design by Linda R. Loiewski

Maps by Multi Mapping LTD. The Globe Pequot Press

ISSN 1554-7817

ISBN 0-7627-3131-1

Manufactured in the United States of America

First Edition/First Printing

The author and The Globe Pequot Press assume no liability for accidents

happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the activities

described in this book.

Surfing Hawaii

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