Surfers Lament: Tiny Waves Around the Island

By Carlos Rock

This is what the north shore will look like for majority of the summer. Photo: Carlos Rock.

The forecast is showing flat, flat and more flat around the entire island. With a little exception of a blown out/windy little east swell hitting east facing shores, the summer has wound down following the best early season south swells in years.

Depressing isn’t it? Surfing is a unique sport because it is entirely dependent on what mother nature is doing.

However, there are cures to not surfing. One main activity, which is essentially the heart and soul of wave riding, is bodysurfing. Somewhere, someplace on the island there is a beach with “bodysurfable” waves.

There is nothing like sliding on your side into a 1 or 2-foot barrel and getting washed up on the shore. It would help if there was some size to the waves, but when starved of good waves, getting back to the roots of wave riding is a great change of pace.

Shore break Barrels is better than no barrels. Hana, Maui. Photo: Carlos Rock.

A recent trip to Hana proved this true. Since Hana is the most eastern place on the island and it is so exposed to the open ocean, Hana is able to pick up any type of swell and make something rideable. You will be surprised what you find out there when the forecast only reads 1 to 3-feet.

But, hopefully the rest of the summer doesn’t consist of tiny east swell.

One of the main rules in surfing is not to hype up a swell too much for obvious reasons of it not living up to the hype. But, there is talk around that there may be a possible run of big swell set to hit Teahupoo, Tahiti.

One more from Hana. Hamoa Beach. Photo: Carlos Rock.

Which means Hawaii could see more of that same energy real soon. Praying for surf = summer in Hawaii.