Category: Maui Surf
Yesterday, the North Shore of Maui was under a high surf advisory. Huge swells with wave faces of 25 feet or more were crashing along the outer reefs. Typically, this is the type of swell that would light up Maui’s famous big wave spot Jaws. The Jalbert family headed over to the Launiapoko Beach Park Lahaina Area for some much tamer surf. The waves were little more than a foot in size and perfect conditions for our nieces’ first surf experience. Billy and I took out Olivia and Molly on our stand up paddle boards. The size of the boards make them perfect for tandem surfing. I had Molly on my board and she was a trooper. A true water rat, she had an ear to ear smile as we went for our first belly ride in the white water. Before too long she was popping up on the board in a surf stance. While I am sure there were surfers on Maui catching epic waves in the giant surf, I would not have traded spots with any of them. The smiles and laughter of my nieces were truly priceless.
Maui’s North Shore as well as all of the North Shore’s of the Hawaiian Islands are under a high surf warning. This means that wave faces may be in excess of 25 feet. These conditions are the type that draw skilled watermen from all over the world to surf and windsurf in these massive swells. They are not conditions for novice surfers and swimmers. It makes for quite the spectacle as massive waves break along the beaches and outer reefs.
The Aloha Classic Windsurfing contest is being held this week out at H o’okipa on Maui’s North Shore.
The event has been held since 1984 with a list of previous winners that reads like a who’s who in the history of windsurfing. This year’s event includes divisions running from the 13 and under Menehunes to the Grand Master’s for competitors 40 and over. Tomorrow’s competition should see increasing waves as a new Northwest swell hits the coast. If you have a chance, head out to Ho’okipa to see the action.
The Red Bull King of the Air is being held this week on Maui’s North Shore. This event brings some of the best kite surfers in the world to Maui. After holding qualifying rounds in Kanaha Beach Park earlier in the week, the event moved to Ho’okipa today for the main event. Contestants were greeted with the first High Surf Advisory of the winter surf season. The event is primarily an aerial contest, but wave riding played a bigger role as contestants experienced the biggest waves to date for a kite event. Billy and I managed to sneak out from the office to catch a few heats. It was quite a show for the spectators and quite a challenge for a number of the contestants. Sets with faces upto 15 feet were thundering across the reef at Ho’okipa. The water patrol was kept busy retrieving lost boards for the kiters. The King of the Air made it through to the semifinals today with the biggest star being windsurfing and now kite surfing legend Robby Naish. Robby’s considerable wave riding experience and an incredible amount of time spent in Hawaii’s big waves proved to be a big advantage vs. his competitors. The competition is set to continue tomorrow with more large waves on tap. The closer we get to the finals, the better the action we are likely to see. I hope to make it out to some of the remaining heats for the event. If we get any good pictures, we will make sure that they are posted.
The South Swell hit the shores of Maui with a vengeance. Ma’alaea’s famous freight trains wave was said to be the best in a number of years with wave face heights hitting fifteen feet. Many amazing barrels were made, but there was also a fair amount of carnage on the shallow reef. Pictures have been slow to emerge from the day, but I did see this amazing sequence of a Ma’alaea Barrel courtesy of Surfermag.com.
The North Shore of Maui is getting its first substantial north swell of the season. The swell is bringing overhead + surf to local waters. Moderate to strong trade winds will make the conditions more ideal for the windsurfing and kitesurfing contingent. This swell weill gradually dissipate over the next 24 hours. Today, the south shores are seeing the forerunners of the largest swell to come from the southern hemisphere this year. A High Surf Advisory is in effect starting today. There is a chance that this could be upgraded to a High Surf Warning as selected locations may have wave heights in excess of 15 feet. This swell should keep wave riders entertained into the weekend.