PHOTOS: Swells Increase As Surf Season Begins

By Madeline M. Ziecker

"The Prince of Pa'ia" retiring for the day from hours in the surf of Pa'ia Bay. Photo by Madeline Ziecker.

As the swells begin to pick up on Maui’s north shore, surfers are heading out to popular surf spots Pa’ia Bay and Ho’okipa for an early start to the surf season.

On Wednesday, September 21, many local surf reports estimated north shore front-facing waves well below 8 feet, but in the later afternoon, Ho’okipa had waves up to 10 feet high. Some sets were smaller than others, but surfers were willing to wait for the bigger sets that eventually came.

Surfers are expected to see plenty of action through the weekend, as swells increase later in the day on Saturday.

Local surfers head to Pa'ai Bay for an afternoon session. Photo by Madeline Ziecker.	Pa'ia Bay 9/21. Photo by Madeline Ziecker.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD Pa'ia Bay. Photo by Madeline M. Ziecker	A surfer at Pa'ia Bay scans the horizon for half of the surfboard he lost in the pounding surf of Ho'okipa, hoping it will drift with the current. Photo by Madeline M. Ziecker.
Waves at Ho'okipa. Photo by Madeline Ziecker.	ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD Waves at Ho'okipa. Photo by Madeline Ziecker.