Billy and I started messing around with stand up paddling with our friend Mike Cooney during the winter of 2005. At the time, there was a pretty small number of stand up paddlers on island. The majority of the participants were skilled water men including the likes of Laird Hamilton, Dave Kalama, and Archie Kalepa. Than there was us. Regardless of our lack of skill, we managed to have lots of fun. Fast forward to 2007 and the sport has begun to explode. We have seen evidence of stand up’s growth both on the water and online. Stand up paddlers are an almost constant site paddling down the North Shore coastline of Maui. One friend described a veritable conga line going down the coast while he was surfing a local break. Whenever I go over to West Maui, stand up paddlers are fixture in the lineups of almost every break south of Lahaina. We also see the growth in popularity online. I am always amazed how many people come to this site searching for information on stand up paddling. When I first started posting on the subject back in the spring of 2005, we were one of the few online resources with any information on the subject. Now, there are numerous sites and articles discussing the sport. The latest online resource on stand up paddling was started by old clients of ours. The Stand Up Zone is a forum to discuss gear, technique, stand up events, or just the days waves. It is just getting going, but it appears to be attracting some good discussion.

Residents of Maui have always been noted for their innovation on Maui. Our combination of wind and waves has led Maui to be a focal point for new developments and innovations in sports like wind surfing, kite surfing, foil boarding and more. Billy and Carla were at their neighborhood beach when they saw this kite boat zipping along offshore. Carla snapped a good picture as it passed by the beach.

This catamaran is using a kite like those used for kite surfing rather than a conventional sail. Looks like another great way to spend the day in beautiful Maui.

Traditionally, the large surf that we associate with our North Shore winter season peters out in late March. We occasionally get advisory level swells in early April and we even had a rare late season high surf warning over Easter weekend. However, it is exceedingly rare statistically to have a North Shore high surf advisory this late in April. Nonetheless, we just had another late season high surf advisory. The swell peaked around mid day yesterday with waves up to 20 feet on their faces at select outer reefs. The advisory continued through most of today with waves just over the advisory levels of 15 foot faces.

The accompanying trade winds made this swell more conducive to wind surfing than surfing. Nonetheless, I headed out for a little body surfing last evening. While the place where I ventured out was sheltered from the larger waves, there was still a good deal of power in the ocean. I received a drubbing from the waves that I would usually associate with the peak of our winter surf season in January. Needless to say, it was nice to get one good last (or is it?) thumping before the North Shore goes into its summer time slumber.

I am not sure who made the forecast or when, but at some point this winter I read that we should expect a later than usual start to our surf season and a more extended surf season that would extend well into the spring time. Whoever made that forecast deserves some accolades. It appears to have been dead on. For that matter, the long term forecast for a drier and cooler El Nino winter has also shown to be pretty accurate. For all the grief that weathermen get, it is good to tip the cap when their forecasts are accurate.

An unseasonably late northwest swell will be arriving on the North and West Shores of the Hawaiian Islands. This is resulting in a high surf warning for Niihau, Kauai, Oahu and Molokai. For Maui, the surf will be just one foot under the threshold for a high surf warning resulting in a high surf advisory. On north shores, wave heights should 20 to 24 feet later today and tonight. A swell of this size is pretty rare for Hawaii at this time of year. An extra large swell of this magnitude hit the islands in Easter of 1999. With light trade winds, it should be ideal conditions for big wave windsurfers. More casual ocean goers should exercise caution around the water as waves and currents will create dangerous conditions.

Yesterday, the high surf warning from Wednesday was canceled. With light winds and good sized surf, North Shore surfers were treated to clean and beautiful conditions. Billy’s wife Carla snapped a few pictures of the waves.

The swell continued to fade today, but the winds remained light resulting in more good surf at selected breaks. I was able to sneak out for a quick session before work today. While the break where I ventured out was inconsistent, the ocean managed to put on an amazing show. Specifically, a pod of humpback whales put on a spectacular aerial display less than a half mile from my surf spot. I watched a particularly large adult breach repeatedly with a baby whale doing her best to imitate the adult. Not only were they breaching, but Mom was thrashing on the surface and slapping her fins repeatedly on the water. Needless to say, it was a fantastic sight.

The trade winds are expected to return this weekend with another high surf advisory slated for Sunday. These conditions will not be ideal for surfers, but it will be blissful for windsurfers and kite boarders.

The North Shore of Maui may be experiencing the last high surf warning of the winter surf season. Wave heights rose abruptly over night bringing surf as high as 40 feet on the face to select outer reefs. The large swell is coming from a low pressure system with hurricane force winds about 1,000 miles Northwest of Maui. The storm system also has been responsible for the rain that soaked the island earlier today. The warning is set to expire by 6:00 AM tomorrow. While there was some rain and thunder today, big wave riders were able to take advantage of the big waves and offshore Kona winds. It is likely that this may be the last high surf warning of the season as we approach the beginning of spring. High surfing warning conditions can occur into April on the North Shore, but they are a lot less common than during the peak of the season from December through February. A high surf advisory will continue tomorrow with wave heights of 15 feet or more. These are still hazardous conditions and beach goers should exercise caution in and around the ocean.