Did you surf Hanelei bay? man I have seen days in the 20 ft range which I did not ever go out in. You live in kill devils? might be the best spot on the east coast probably
sounds good get to stay at a relatives crib.....but I wouldn't go to Hawaii unless u been on the cover of every surfing magazine.and fall is the worst time lol,thats when all the crowds and pros emerge for the triple crown.best bet for Hawaii is February,all the aussies and americans and Brazilians leave and its just Hawaiians. but being a normal surfer,trying to catch a wave with 150 ppl out in a 300 yard radius is pretty hard.laniakea isn't a beginner wave btw lol,ever see Kelly slaters bomb out there? regardless it will be a cool trip,u wont get waves but youll be able to meet and greet the pros and piss off the locals.ur best bet for waves is the south shore and its just as crowded
Hey that's probably all pretty accurate and yes I've seen the Laniakea videos and just figured if it's manageable when I'm there it's something to shoot for. That is one of the main reasons I made this threade though: for any advice on where to look when I'm there and tips on how to have a good time.
When you get closer to actually going, bring this theade back up. I was going to PM you but none of the places I would suggest are secret. You can charge the big name spots, and good on you if you get a few waves. You might. To be perfectly honest, I would not even try to surf somewhere like Sunset or Pipe in October/November. The crowds are just stupidly insane with very, very good surfers. You could spend a day out at Pipe and be lucky to get one wave. There are lesser known, or lesser popular spots on the North Shore. You're unlikely to get waves to yourself, but you can still get waves if you know where to look. When this trip is 'on' post again and I'll certainly share what I know. None of my go-to spots are secret, but you can still have a lot of fun.
Listen to Stank, he knows his sh!t and is also a major awesome dude to spend time in the line up with. I would recommend buying a board off him, or getting one when your there. Hawaiin airlines charged me $100 each way for my beat up 6/4 and managed to beat it up more with a nice ding on the tail. Have fun, but respect the Mecca as it should be respected. Every session on the north shore gets your heart beating fast and is no joke (or at least it did with me). P.S. i got my plane tickets for $300 each way from Sacremento. If your paying more then $600 round trip from the westcoast or $1000 from the eastcoast your doing it wrong and need to reevaluate your options. One ways are usually cheaper then round trips in my experience.
Yep definitely looking to buy when I get there at this point because of all the advise you guys have given. So far it looks like round trip from nj is about $750 and my original plan was to save around $1500 over this summer for the trip altogether. Can't believe I am getting this chance and I understand what everyone is saying about a shrimp like me maybe getting a wave or two but with such a rare opportunity I will be grateful for anything and everything out there!
good attitude to go into it with man, stay humble and know your limits and youll have the trip of a lifetime.
HI is really that packed huh? From the sounds of what I hear on this thread there isn't a break without a ton of ppl? I've watched wave cams at a couple mellow longboarding spots and they don't look too bad. Similar to this guy I might go out and stay with my friends family in late August but I might just take a trip somewhere else like CR instead.
BS...there are uncowded waves in HI. I was on the north shore last week of January / first week of February. Prime season. Pipe was PACKED, and fun to watch as it was going off. There were relatively uncrowded fun waves to be found all over the place.
That's awesome. I have a few friends stationed out there and they love it. Now I just have to suck it up and pay for a ticket. Free room and board is a nice addition. Only other "tropical" like place I've surfed was Barbados and that was an hour and a half on a piece of crap log. Gliding over water that clear was the best feeling though.
This may sound too grandma-ish but how about finding a surf school and seeing if you can hire an instructor to help you find the best spots for your abilities and also point out the different challenges at each spot. If it can be that dangerous, might be worth the $$.
This is definitely true. Also, me and my bro would get up and be on the beach at pipe/backdoor/off the wall/ (on small-medium size days)...As soon as we could see, we would paddle out to the peak. Sometimes we would get two or three really good waves before it packed out and sometimes get a solid hour in. Go in, run down the beach towards beach breaks and rocky point and surf the rest of the morning. As for it being a zoo at all the name brand breaks, this is true. However, I would (depending on your skill level), make it a point to choose the wave you are most interested in (Pipe or Sunset for instance), and paddle out on the day that suits your level. You may only catch one wave (I have surfed both places and had sessions where I only caught one or two waves) but the experience can be very rewarding IMO.
Sounds like a great experience for you and experience will make you a better surfer. Opportunity to travel and surf is a given. Go and enjoy. Lots of great advise , so seize the moment and plan proper.
don't listen to these kooks. u can easily paddle out at pipe in january and get tons of waves. as long as u wear a white rashguard,have 10 pounds of sunscreen on ur face, paddle straight to the peak, and pretend u know everyone. u should be fine and all the locals should treat you with respect. and if u wanna surf big sunset take a jetski out to the lineup instead of paddling out. it'll show the locals youre the real deal
The crowds in October/November are much larger than in January/February. Once the triple crown is over the place thins out significantly. But you can still find waves at lower tier breaks- monster mush, kammies, leftovers, etc.
it was uncrowded due to the time u went,all the pros usually leave end of January.regardless theres still going to be crowds,it is Hawaii lol,and theres a lot of ppl that surf in Hawaii.but trying to get waves late November,december is damn near impossible to even get a closeout,not to mention how extremely dangerous it is paddle battling with so many ppl around.regardless it is Hawaii lol,id rather be there than here in nj.
Cep, I can't argue that it's crowded as a mofo during the peak season/triple crown. But, during that time, there are still places to catch really, really fun surf....You can give up the name brand spots and a little quality and still score super good surf.
