Tag: surfing

Surfing in Hawaii

Because of the swells that roll in from the Pacific Ocean, Hawaii has some great surfing spots. These spots are scattered across hundreds of beaches all over the state of Hawaii. You could literally spend a year surfing these beaches and never have to surf the same spot twice.

The biggest waves in Hawaii are located on the North Shore of the islands. Waves during the winter are typically bigger than the waves during the rest of the year. The island of Oahu is home to some of the world’s largest waves. The north shore of Ohau attracts some of the best surfers in the world and hosts big surfing competitions. Waimea Bay Beach Park draws huge crowds of people there to watch the big wave riders. It’s pretty typical to drive down the main highway and see several photographers just waiting to capture the big one.

These waters have swells that reach to be over thirty feet. Winter winds prevent this from being a swimming beach during these months. The waves pound the beach with a force so hard that it can be heard for miles. The summer months, however, bring a totally different Waimea. The water is usually calm enough for swimmers June through September. Sunset Beach is also another popular winter surfing destination for the same reasons as above… big waves. Lastly, don’t forget about the world famous Banzai Pipeline located at Ehukai Beach. The pipeline attracts world famous surfers to these incredible long tube waves. Be careful, here the water is extremely shallow and these great waves break over top of a coral reef. This can make for treacherous wipeouts. This is not the place for beginners.

Wakiki beach is also another world famous surfing destination, but for much different reasons. Wakiki has long predictable waves that are not nearly as tall or as threatening as their northern counterparts. In fact, Wakiki is a great place for beginner surfers. You can walk up the beach and find tons of different places to take a lesson.

Honolua Bay on Maui is also a popular surfing spot for the experienced surfer. There are lots of great beaches as well as surfing spots in Maui. Lahaina is a great spot for beginners and there are a couple of different surfing schools located here. Because of the strong winds on Maui, it is also a popular destination for wind surfing and kite surfing. Maui even has its very own kite beach. On any given day you can drive by a see the shoreline full of kite boarders, some of whom you’d probably recognize from the magazines.

Hanalei Bay located on the North shore of Kauai also has some great waves. The bay itself is crescent shaped and the waves here are also going to be the biggest during the winter months. The bay makes for some great snorkeling during the summer months.

There are also some great spots to surf and the islands of Hawaii as well as Molokai, they are just not as famous of some of these others. Whatever island you pick you can’t go wrong in Hawaii.

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Surf Lessons on Oahu in Hawaii

Have you ever had inkling to pick up surfing as a hobby? Or perhaps just try it once and put it on that list of yep, I’ve done that? Then the island of Oahu in Hawaii is the place to do that. Waikiki beach is the best place for beginners to learn to surf. You may be picturing the lonely deserted beach pictured in the 1950’s Gidget or Elvis movies. But, I have to tell you that Waikiki beach has changed a lot since those days.

Waikiki beach is located in Honolulu, picture a miniaturized New York City located in paradise complete with palm trees, because after all, Honolulu is a city. The beach is narrow and very crowded, and with good reasons… the waves. The waves are typically small and very long. You can ride them all the way into the beach with plenty of time for beginners to get used to the feel of the wave. There are tons of places on Waikiki to take surf lessons. Just walk down the beach and take your pick, usually you don’t have to make reservations because these are just guys on the beach teaching lessons… i.e. bring cash. Because of the fierce competition amongst the “surfing schools” you can usually get a pretty good deal on the lessons.

If you are just learning to surf you should stay here in Waikiki. However, it is worth a trip to the North Shore just to see how the other half lives. It’s amazing to see world famous surfers riding the waves at Waimea Bay or at the pipeline. It looks like something out of the movies. The beaches are crowed with by standers and photographers. They watch in awe as these amazing athletes ride waves as high as thirty feet. But a warning to those daring novices… do not try to surf the waves here. The can be treacherous. In fact drowning is the number one accidental death in Hawaii. This probably comes as no surprise because the entire state is surrounded by water.

Rip currents are one danger to Hawaiian visitors. They are fast flowing currents that can drag swimmers out into deeper parts of the ocean. If you get caught in a rip current, don’t fight the current. You should swim parallel to shore until you are out of the current, and then swim safely into shore. Undertows are another dangerous factor while visiting Hawaii. If you get caught in an undertow, (you will feel the wave pull you out to sea) just go with the flow of the wave until it passes. Then you should be able to swim out of it. Don’t let the beautiful waters fool you; they can be deadly if not taken seriously.

Heed the warning, but try not to get discouraged. There are plenty of places in Hawaii for beginners to surf. If you do not get your fill while visiting the world famous Waikiki Beach, you may want to try one of the other islands. All of the other islands will have some beginner friendly waves to offer.

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Surf lessons on Maui

It is safe to say that if anyone visiting Hawaii ever wants to learn how to surf this is the place. There are many different places to take surf lessons while on the island of Maui. My favorite is located in the town of Lahaina. Lahaina is just a short drive from the Kanapali resort area that is the temporary home of many tourists like me. I took a four hour lesson at this cute little place called goofy foot. They came highly recommended by the concierge at the hotel, and I was not disappointed. The surf school required that all students wear a rash guard, which is just a long sleeve neoprene shirt.

The rash guard is to protect your chest from the sand and wax on the board, not to mention the fact that it will also protect you if you happened to be pummeled by a wave into coral. Coral is prevalent in these waters; in fact, the coral actually contributes to the making of those long beautiful waves.

The surf school provided the rash guard, as well as these goofy aqua socks that everyone had to wear… Maybe that’s why they call the school goofy foot. But seriously, it is important to wear the aqua socks because they protect your feet from the coal. The instructor also explained that it is important to fall shallow rather than deep in order to avoid hitting the dreaded coral.

The next required piece of paraphernalia is the board itself. They gave me this twelve foot foam surf board that I actually had to balance on my head to carry. That was really the hardest part of the lesson. Once equipped with my surf gear, I was ready to hit the waves. But my instructor stopped me in my tracks. Did I mention that the instructor was extremely hot? Anyway, he said that we had to practice on the beach a few times, so we did. We lay on top of the board in the sand and pretended to paddle. This seemed pretty stupid to me, but who was I to argue.

By the time that we finally got in the water, I was ready. My really hot instructor stood behind me and actually pushed me into the wave. First I climbed up onto one knee, and then the next thing I knew I was standing. This took a couple of minutes, but that’s the good thing about these great Hawaiian waves. You have plenty of time. The waves are long and even, giving beginners ample time to actually stand up. Once standing, I was a force to be reckoned with. Seriously, there was no way I could control that big board, I just held on and enjoyed the ride.

Now, I have to mention that this was not my first attempt at surfing. I have actually tried many times on the east coast. The waves are much shorter and less predictable. The waves in Lahaina seemed to break at the same exact spot every time. Throughout the remainder of my four hour lesson, I was surfing. I felt like my very own modern day version of Gidget.

Another great thing about the goofy foot surfing school is that they have a photographer on staff taking pictures of the lessons. Alas, I have documented proof of my surfing skills! It was a great experience, one that I believe to only be available on one of those long waves readily available and waiting for you in Maui.

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