More Great Swells and the Surfers’ Oahu Pilgrimage

By Carlos Rock

Pipe. Photo: Carlos Rock.

More great swells on the way for the north shores of Hawaii. It seems like once one swell starts to fade away, another one is already in line to take its place. And that’s the way winter is supposed be in Hawaii.

Take this week for example, as of Monday a 10-20 foot northwest swell is slowly dropping, but by Wednesday, another 6-12 foot WNW is gearing up to to take its place. And, once that swell starts to drop come Friday, another 10-15 foot swell is on the charts for Saturday.

And for more good news, the winds are supposed to lighten up as well in the 5-15mph range from the NE which will translate to glassy mornings and possibly some light onshore evenings. Lucky you live Hawaii.

There is some bad news though, it is March, and that means the winter season is slowly coming to a close, but not before pumping out some more swells and going out with a bang.

Bigger than it looks. Backdoor. Photo: Carlos Rock.

Before the winter swells run out, it may be a good idea to take a trip over to the north shore of Oahu and see if you can handle the power of the waves over there and to prove to yourself that you can.

Also, late winter on the north shore is great for the average surfer because most of the pros have fled to Australia for the Quiksilver Pro on the Gold Coast (the start of the 2013 ASP season). This translates to relatively uncrowded lineups in the usually heavily packed spots on the north shore.

Sunset Beach looking pretty damn good. Photo: Carlos Rock.

It is a blessing for Mauians to be able to hop over to Oahu and have a proper surf trip. For the price of a short flight you can find yourself standing on the beach looking at uncrowded Pipe and picturing yourself getting drained on one that you have been dreaming about.

The north shore of Oahu is pretty much the holy grail of surfing. White sandy beaches and perfect barreling waves everywhere you look. The place is riddled with world famous waves, and some that are world class but less talked about.

Every surfer should make a pilgrimage to the north shore, the ultimate proving ground for any surfer. However, the north shore is not to be taken lightly. The waves there are heavy and the lineups are even heavier. It is a place where you give more than you take, and if you get lucky, you might just lock in to the wave of your life.

“Look at that one!” A phrase heard all over the north shore. Photo: Carlos Rock.