The National Weather Service has issued a High Surf Warning for the North and West Shores of all Hawaiian Islands except for Lanai. A large swell has been moving down the island chain throughout the day. Waves of up to 30-40 feet have are hitting Kauai with the surf expected to rise rapidly on Maui late this afternoon and early evening. The swell is being accompanied by a weak weather front that has brought north winds. The North winds will produce stormy conditions and less than ideal surf for big wave riders. The warning is projected to persist through Friday. Friday will also see a shift back towards more typical trade wind patterns. While not ideal for most Maui big wave spots, it should be more favorable than today’s conditions. Beach goers should be aware of the large surf and associated currents before venturing too close to the water’s edge.

The Women’s world surfing tour wrapped up it’s season this weekend at the Billabong Pro Maui held at Honolua Bay in West Maui. Tour rookie Jessi Miley-Dyer won the Billabong Pro with Kaua’i’s Keala Kennelly placing second. Third place finisher Layne Beachley’s performance was good enough to vault her to her seventh world title. World famous Honolua Bay served up fantastic surf throughout the contest. Friday’s event featured big surf with set waves pushing triple overhead. The women of the world tour were not afraid to charge getting lots of great rides including some huge barrels. The final day of surf was smaller but still excellent. Congratulations to the ladies on their performance throughout the event. A special congratulations goes to Haiku’s Paige Alms an event wild card. Alms made her presence known when she knocked off 2005 World Champ Chelsea Georgeson in the first round.

Check out the Maui News for additional coverage of the event.

The National Weather Service has issued a High Surf Warning for the North Shore of all Hawaiian Islands except Lanai today. A high surf warnings means very large waves with wave faces in excess of 25 feet. This swell is already hitting the beaches of Kauai and starting to hit Oahu. This really large surf will likely start hitting the beaches along the North Shore of Maui sometime around sunset or later this evening. Waves of this size will close out most surf breaks. The exception of course are breaks like Jaws and other outer reefs.

Surf conditions during a high surf warning can be quite hazardous. All but the most experienced and skilled surfers and water people should stay out of the water. That being said, it is always exciting when the first big surf event of the season hits the island. Much like the first big snow in the mountains, the first big surf of the season brings an electricity to the air among the coastal communities of the North Shore of Hawaii. I hope to get my hands on some good pictures from tomorrow’s surf.

While October brought a pretty steady supply of waves to Maui’s North Shore. November on the other hand, has been a month of smaller than average swell conditions. That has changed over the last few days. A series of moderate swells are being replaced by a larger north swell. As a result, the National Weather Service has issued a High Surf Advisory for North facing shores of all islands except Lanai. Wave heights are expected to be between 12 and 16 feet with larger sets possible. While conditions looked pretty clean when I drove by the beach this morning, it may get a little tricky as the surf builds. There are a couple of different sources for the waves which could lead to more frequent sets and closer spacing between the waves. For all of the surfriders out there, have fun and be safe!

The Aloha Classic Wave Championship wrapped up yesterday at Ho’okipa Beach Park. It was an exciting last day as the world’s best men battled it out in waves that were approaching mast high in height. In the end it was Maui local Josh Angulo taking home the title. On the ladies side Iballa Ruano Moreno took home the women’s title on Thursday. It capped off a great season for Moreno and led to her crowning as world champion. On the men’s side, Maui resident Kevin Pritchard’s performance in the event contributed to his being crowned world champion.

Congratulations to all of the athletes and the organizers on a great event. We are proud to have been a sponsor and look forward to the opportunity to sponsor future Aloha Classics.

The Aloha Classic is up and running at Ho’okipa Beach Park. After a week of light winds, the trade winds have returned to Maui allowing competition to resume. Today’s event will feature the pros. It is an all star crew with the best women and men’s windsurfers from all over the world congregating on the beach.

Hopefully, the conditions will cooperate so they can have two solid days of competition to close out what has already been a great event. We are proud to have had the opportunity to sponsor the Aloha Classic, one of wind surfing’s premier contests.