Small Waves for Summer

By Carlos Rock

Big Beach Makena. Photo: Carlos Rock.

Small surf prevails around the island of Maui with only a small south swell on tap. This is just how it goes during the summer in Hawaii.

There appears to be no major south swells on the forecast over the 1-3 ft mark since the last small south over the past weekend.

That swell was very short lived, but it did provide some ride-able surf being the first swell of the summer. The swell topped out at 3-7 ft at the most popular spots like Big Beach, but Lahaina was significantly smaller because of the shadowing from other islands.

Winter Dreaming. Pipeline. Photo: Carlos Rock.

So what are surfers to do with the lack of waves as they try to adjust and recover from the non-stop action of the winter?

Getting a paddleboard is great way to stay in shape and stay familiar with the water and can be loads of fun in 1-2 foot waves. It works out your core muscles and increases your stamina to keep you surfing longer.

Also, some other, more important things you might consider would be logging some more hours in at work, go for a run, take care of some of the nagging projects you have been putting off because there was always a swell on tap and there was just no time in the day to surf and do chores.

Well now is your chance to utilize your free time to do something beneficial. At least until another swell pops up on the charts. Then it’s back to the same routine.

Way south of the border. Indonesia 2012. Photo: Carlos Rock.

Hopefully this flat spell doesn’t last too long and the southern hemisphere starts to churn out some good swells to make this summer one to remember. The longer the flat spell lasts, the more surfers will most likely be considering taking a trip to somewhere with better surf during the summer months.

Somewhere south of the border, or south of the equator, or maybe just somewhere south of where you are.