Santa brought big waves to the Hawaiian Islands on Christmas day. Billy’s brother in law Paul, Billy, and I were able to sneak out between opening presents and Christmas dinner for some spectating along the cliffs above Jaws. We arrived right as the wind was starting to come up and a number of tow surfing teams were headed home. We were a little disappointed in our timing at first, but before too long a good sized crew of wind surfers arrived. The winds made for interesting conditions. They were strong enough to blow a lot of the spray off the tops of the waves. This created an almost hallucinogenic effect with rainbow colored mist cloaking the lineup. On the other hand, the winds were light enough that it made for challenging conditions for the windsurfers. The winds left some of the windsurfers short on speed when trying to catch the bigger waves. Here are a few photos that Billy and Paul took.

There was a lone tow team out surfing when we arrived. They had to have been psyched to have the lineup to themselves.

The waves were medium sized by Jaws standards, but by no means small.

The surfers and windsurfers were partially obscured by the spray and mist coming off the first waves of a set.

This looks like Pro Windsurfer Jason Polakow going off the lip.

We saw this a few times on the bigger sets. The windsurfers did not have enough speed to catch the bigger waves.

It sounds as if the conditions got a little better and bigger after we left for Christmas Dinner. It has been a good season thus far for Jaws with four pretty good sized days. This is fairly typical of an El Nino winter where we tend to get more big waves than other years. There is still a lot of winter surf ahead. If we get any more good photos, we will be sure to post them on The Maui Real Estate Blog.

I know some of our regular readers may be wondering if I am turning this site into a surf blog based on the focus of recent content. That being said, I thought it was worth posting a few more photos from today’s action at Jaws. There has been a lot of excitement and anticipation over this week’s swell. Many were touting this as a historic surf event. It turns out that the biggest wave energy from the storm went to the Northeast of Hawaii. While the waves didn’t quite meet expectations, mother nature still put on a heck of a show. I woke up at the crack of dawn this morning to head out to Haiku and check out the waves at Jaws. The first ten minutes or so, I was second guessing my decision to forego the extra hour of sleep. I must have arrived at a lull as it wasn’t long before Jaws was roaring to life with some good sized sets. The following are some photos capturing the surf today December 8, 2009.

I want to give thanks to my friend Salma for driving and allowing me to share her photos. In addition to being a pretty good photographer, she is also a great CPA. If you are in the market for a new CPA on Maui, let me know and I would be happy to pass along her contact information.

The North Shore of Maui was abuzz today as island residents and visitors were lining the coastline to watch huge winter waves. The waves were part of a swell that was hyped to be one of the largest to hit the islands in decades. The waves proved to be quite large and were still rising as of this evening. The biggest waves were forecast to hit Maui overnight with giant sized surf forecast through Wednesday. Truthfully, it appears that the swell may not be quite as large as forecasted locally as the biggest waves are missing Hawaii to the Northeast. That being said, it was quite a spectacle for the thousands that lined the cliffs of Haiku to watch the infamous Jaws or Peahi. The following are some photos taken by our friend Daniel Sullivan of Indigo Paia.

It is always fun to make the trek to the pineapple fields to see Jaws. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to make it see Jaws in action today, but I had an appointment in Haiku cancel at the last moment. I ended up at a vantage point a little further from the break, but it was nice to be away from the crowds. Even from a little further distance, the power of the wave is a sight to behold.

We had our first high surf warning of the 2009/2010 winter surf season this week. This means that selected surf breaks along the North Shore of Maui had wave heights that exceeded 25 feet on the face of the wave. These are the type of conditions that brings the infamous Peahi or “Jaws” surf break to life. This big wave break along the cliffs of Haiku has been the site of some of the largest waves ever ridden by man. While the waves that broke on Wednesday were medium sized by Jaws standards, they would be terrifying to most surfing mortals. Conditions the other day were conducive to both tow surfing and windsurfing.

Our friend Daniel Sullivan was nice enough to share a few photos he took from the cliffs on Wednesday. Daniel is one of the owners of Indigo Paia, a great store located in the shopping area next to our office.

This afternoon the National Weather Service issued a High Surf advisory for the North facing shores of the Hawaiian Islands. This means wave heights could reach in excess of 15 feet at selected surf breaks. The swell should peak sometime tomorrow and slowly diminish on Saturday into Sunday. It looks like this swell may favor windsurfers and kite boarders along Maui’s North Shore as it will be accompanied by moderate to fresh trade winds. While these conditions are fun for experienced water people, beach goers should exercise caution when entering the water along North and some West facing shores. The swell brings strong shore break and associated rip currents. The first big swell of the season is always met with anticipation by both surfers and non surfers alike. Whether you are charging down the face of a big wave or just appreciating the spectacle from the shore line, it is hard not to be awed by the energy of the ocean. Stay safe and have fun!

The Fourth Annual Naish Paddleboard Championship is slated to start shortly. This event is open to both prone and stand up paddlers. The race course extends 9.54 miles from Maliko Gulch along Maui’s North Shore to the Hawaiian Canoe Club inside Kahului Harbor. Aided by steady trade winds, the elite paddlers will likely cover the length of the course in just over one hour. That’s moving at a pretty brisk pace. Mere mortal paddlers will cover the course in two hours or more. The race starts at 1:00 PM. If you are along any of the North Shore beaches, keep your eyes peeled off shore for the pack of paddlers heading down the coast.