High Season Hawaii 

February 1, 2006

Sean & Lane Davey

BASED ON 0 MEMBER REVIEWS
HELP ME WITH RATINGS

Account from Friday, December 2, 2005
This morning was somewhat surreal. 6-8 perfect pipe with the sun gleaming above and no wind whatsoever. It's the kind of day we live and long for here in Hawaii. Pipe Soldiers all made their way out to the line up today with a sparkle in their eyes, but the line up was choked by about 7:30 with about 75 guys and just two moving peaks. The swell pulsed and then started to drop back as a NNE swell began filling in around 10:00. The mix of directions + the grinding sandbar in front of the reef made for some warbly thick wedges on the left which were causing a lot of wipe outs while the rights were maxing out and makable, just about as good as it gets. It seemed to be just another wipe out when Malik Joyeux took off and free fell on a deep left, but just when the lip hit him, the board bounced back with the lip possibly hitting him in the head.

Malik Joyeux

Suddenly someone noticed he had not come up and half the line up along with some of the guys on the beach headed out to the Ehukai sandbar in search of his body. With the current ripping across the sandbar and no sign of Malik we all knew things were looking pretty dire even though everyone was doing the best they could to save him. Unfortunately, when he was found right past the lifeguard tower it was too late.

moments later...

A circle was then formed on the beach for a moment of prayer. It was a good day gone bad, even the weather slowly began to change. The clouds came, the wind started going onshore and the waves at Pipeline became too north and disorganized looking nothing like it did in the morning. The community mourns Malik today and forever. Malik was a 25 year old Tahitian man who was known for riding one of the biggest waves ever at his homebreak Teahupoo. There is a strong mana between all Pacific Islanders and you can feel the presence of sadness that looms here tonight.

Bon Voyage Malik.

Not really a good start to the month of December. As a matter of fact, Pipe has not been the same since. But for those who attended the ceremony on December 7, 2005, there was definitely some clearing of the smoke which loomed over the break. Even if you didn't know Malik, you got the sense that he was the kind of guy who would have wanted a party not a funeral and that's what he got. The family spoke a few words and then there was a huge paddle outside Ehukai by the lifeguard tower, right where Malik surfaced and was brought to the beach. A huge circle was formed and Sean (Davey) did the honor of dropping flowers from a helicopter.

Malik circle

Repeatedly, surfers hooted and cheered and then would go silent almost as if to hear Malik hooting back as the flowers fell and actually glistened over the ocean in a train that seemed endless. Some of the boys then started chanting some Tahitian words which the circle then repeated as people let go of their strings and their leis for Malik. There seemed to be a very strong bond between Hawaiians and Tahitians that day and Malik's death seems to have put another link in a chain that has been building for sometime between these two islands. It was a sad day, but a beautiful celebration of life for a young man who as they said showed us all how to "live life".

Malik's Wake

If that wasn't enough of a shock for surfers, Clark Foam shut down their factory the very same week. On the North shore, this is the time of year when shapers make 'em and surfers break 'em so it couldn't have been worse timing. It is a threat to the local industry here.

Everyone talks about the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, but surfers have more to keep up with than any other human species this time of year. Not only did we have to get cards and presents sent out, but we had to juggle big waves, contests, buoy reports, maps and of course parties.

By this time most years we have had a good solid 2-3 week period of northerly onshore winds which gives you plenty of time to get all your Christmas stuff done and get organized, but this year it was an afternoon here and there and maybe a couple days, that went onshore, that was it. The variable and SE winds dominated again in December making for perfect conditions most days no matter what the waves were doing, the conditions would make it seem good in some way. December couldn't touch October for quality, but it did offer about 4 days at Waimea ranging from 10-15 ft on a couple days and some near 20 ft sets on a couple others.

Waimea

Phantoms delivered both some paddle in and tow in days in December along with Himalayas and Jockos especially since Pipe was pretty disorganized and crowded with body boarders who have been training for their yearly Pipe event.

Phantoms

Jason Frederico

The problem with the waves in December was that there were several swells colliding with each other preventing most areas from being very enjoyable. Sure there were some incredible waves from time to time, but getting to them was a pain in the but due to the fact that there were waves coming at you from 5 different directions

Liam McNamara

The World Cup finished up at Sunset Beach this month. Melanie Redmann Carr won the event for the women's expression session which was a leg of the Triple Crown for the girls for the first time in many years. Jake Patterson took the men's championship in 3- 6 foot surf with runner up Andy Irons while Mick Fanning, Sunny Garcia and Pancho Sullivan placed high enough to keep themselves in the running for the Triple Crown Title going into the PipeMasters showdown. Andy Irons, however managed to grab both the Triple Crown and the PipeMasters with a 6 foot wave at backdoor which offered him two makable barrel sections while Australian Mick Fanning secured second.

Andy Irons

Representing for the North shore, Kalani Chapman placed third advancing all the way through from the trials.

Kalani Chapman

The contest was held in a variety of conditions ranging from 3-12 feet, but none of the days were really great due to the north pinch in the swell and the sandbar.

Kelly Slater

Pipemasters

Chelsea Georgeson cleaned up on the women's tour claiming the final event on Maui, the World Championship and the Triple Crown of Surfing. The 36th Annual Surf n Sea Haleiwa International had an exciting competition with solid 8-10 ft surf on the first two days of competition and fun sized surf on the last 2 days. Shuji Kasuya won for the Japan Pro Division. The Bodyboarders ruled Pipe for about 3 weeks and then the RockStar Pipeline Pro began. After a small 3-5 ft day of trials competition the first day of the bodyboarding competition was pretty epic at least for bodyboarding. The 8-10 ft surf presented a few 12 footers by the end of the day. The surf would have been a bit windy, warbly and shut down for board surfers, but acted as almost a wave park for bodyboarders who can fit into the tightest slots and fly off of warbly sections. The final day was a bit of a disappointment when the swell dropped back a couple notches and the wind came up Ben Player placed 2nd giving him the world championship and Damian King took the Pipe championship.

Backdoor

Cannon did their yearly party, presentations and workshops for surf photographers in December as usual. The lectures were very helpful and informative especially with so many photographers making the switch from film to digital nowadays. The Pipe Masters celebrated 35 years of Pipe Masters Champions in a presentation at Turtle Bay where all but 2 or 3 past champion attended. Breakers in Haleiwa hosted a few contest parties throughout the month along with Banzai Betty's video premier of last years historic women's Pipe event. Banzai Sushi across the way has been hosting several slide shows which are a big hit. Photographer Grant Washburn was featured this month. Sunny Garcia threw a retirement party at the Hard Rock Cafe and even hired buses for people who needed a ride from the North shore. Several surfers retired this month with him including, Luke Egan, Kalani Robb, Lee Winkler, Tim Curren, Renan Rocha and Shane Beschen.

Luke Egan

Kalani Robb

December 2005 will be remembered with both cheers and tears!

by Lane Davey 

Pipemasters Traffic

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Hawaii Surf Notes for Early 2006 

March 1, 2006

Sean & Lane Davey

BASED ON 1 MEMBER REVIEW
HELP ME WITH RATINGS

The year ended with some of the biggest surf we had all year and the first of the month gave partiers plenty of time to recover from their hangovers.

Randal Paulson, Pipeline

We had junky, disorganized surf in the first week of the new year and then it started getting good for the Rockstar Bodyboarding Pipeline Pro. Bodyboarders reigned on the north shore in January and were excited about resuming their event at Pipeline which did not run last year for the first time in 20 some odd years.

The first day of trials for the three day event was small, only about 3-4 feet with an occasional 5 footer, but the first day of the main event was pretty all the time for bodyboarding. The 8-10+ foot waves, which were a bit weird for stand up surfers, made a skate park type arena for bodyboarding contestants who use wind, warbles and big closeouts as ramps to do incredible acrobatics. Every contestant I spoke to said they scored a great barrel even if they lost their heats.

The final day was a bit of a let down with more wind and less waves, but still some great heats of competition. Six girls even got to have an expression session in between the semi and the final.

Everyone is stoked when a nice guy like Ben Player takes the world title and second at Pipe while fellow Aussie Damian King becomes the 2006 Pipe Champion. In the drop knee division David Hubbard gets a win at Pipeline and Kainoa McGee claims the world title.

It seemed like everyday was a bodyboarding contest in February. Most mornings at Pipeline, there would be anywhere from 30-70 bodyboarders and just a couple surfers, then in the afternoon surfers would resume their position at the break.

Pipeline crowd

Even other spots like Pupukea, Haleiwa and V-Land had their fair share of boogers who stayed throughout the entire month it seemed, even after their contest had finished up. I guess you could say they were making up for lost time.

Surfers have begun packing the line up again training and preparing for the Monster Pro. The waves during the last two weeks of January were pretty incredible from time to time, but somewhat deceiving as well.

Kalani Chapman, Pipeline 

From the beach it looked perfect on some sets and then utterly impossible on others. Blustery trades resumed most of February making the strong wind going up the face a big factor, especially at Pipe. Some days it seemed surfers would come up the beach injured one after the other. Kahea Heart had a head wound and received a few stitches, Noah Johnson was said to have broken his back and there were several others.

Kohl Christenson, Pipeline

As usual there were some beatings dished up on the beach as well as in the water. The size of the surf has also been changing in what seemed to range from 6 feet - 12 feet in just a few hours and then dropping back to 4 feet the very next day. Very unpredictable.

Jamie Obrien, Off the Wall

I was definitely a Pipeline January with no real Waimea swells strong north winds that we usually incur this time a year. One of the best Januarys I can remember really. The best January, December and November; that's what I call a good year.

Kawai Lendell, Pipeline

For those who didn't want to challenge Pipeline, huge Sunset or Haleiwa, Puena Point and the West Side have been great alternatives and I have heard rumors of some fun sessions there.

Puena Point

John Gangine & Yuri Soldade, Puena Point

An estimated 20 foot long great white shark was spotted just outside Haleiwa this month and was posted on the morning newspaper for those of us who didn't believe that we had those buggas here in Hawaii.

Lost is spotted filming around the North shore from time to time and it seems some new movies may be brewing here in Hawaii as well.

Kala Alexander of the Wolfpak hosted Disco Inferno at Breakers with party promoter Matty Liu. Some good DJs and reggae bands have been gracing North shore night spots this year. Blackalicious played in town at Next Door and U2 is scheduled to make a stop in the islands this April.

Myles Padaca, Caroline Islands, Micronesia

Pancho Sullivan, Caroline Islands, Micronesia

Sean Davey took off on a trip to the Carolina Islands in Micronesia at the beginning of February with Pancho Sullivan, Jamie O'Brien, Miles Padacca and Makua Rothman. Kelly Slater was here throughout February and has now gone with another pack of professional surfers for an attempt to score some surf over there.

Makua Rothman, Caroline Islands, Micronesia

Pancho Sullivan, Caroline Islands, Micronesia

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What Happened? 

April 1, 2006

Sean & Lane Davey

BASED ON 2 MEMBER REVIEWS
HELP ME WITH RATINGS

February started out with a lot of promise. The Patagonia Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic got one of the best Pipe days all year. It was 4 feet in the morning and rose to 6-8 feet midday. It was sunny with calm winds and a perfect west organized swell.

Ryan Hailstones at the Patagonia Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic

Travis Overley at the Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic

Rodrigo Bruno at Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic

Steve Kapela from Kailua won the contest with last year's champion Todd Sels in 2nd and legend Mark Cunningham in 3rd. All the bodysurfers were so stoked on the waves that day that some of them were almost in tears. A killer celebration followed the event in Laie with an amazing Hawaiian feast.

We got the biggest swell of the season on the 5th of February. Waimea Bay was going off. In the early am, some of the very first guys to paddle out got swept by the rip and into the rocks and had to be rescued. It wouldn't be the only rescue they did that day.

It was a wild Waimea day with several close outs, a very strong rip that went in two different directions and there was some strong wind going up the face to top it all off.

If you are wondering why I haven't mentioned the Eddie Aikau, so was everyone else. You would think the guys offering up $86,000 over a three month waiting period would take advantage of the biggest swell of the season, but rumor has it they would rather sit at home and watch the Super Bowl. That's really the epitome of pro surfing these days now isn't it, but it worked out great for the real Waimea locals and the 2nd Annual Tow In Contest presented by Phelony Clothing.

For 18 teams, it was Super Tow Sunday. This event pioneered by Ace Cool was held at 15-20 ft Puena Point which had a wide open face which doubled up into a death defying tube on the inside. Brazilian surfer Pato Texeria, who got a 4 second tube ride, said it was equivalent to waves he rode at Teaupoo this year.

North shore notable Gregg Quinn tried to go deep but got caught behind the section and plowed down by three monster sets. Then, defending champion Eric Fisher had a similar experience in his heat. Marvin Foster pulled into a tube which almost cost him his life as he was came up to the beach unconscious, but fully recovered.

In round 2, everyone panicked when they noticed a ski had gone missing and then watched as it crashed onto the rocks at the point, but no one more than Ron Barron who at once realized that it was his ski. Paul Orem and Rana Reodata had borrowed the ski after theirs broke down in round 1. What an exciting and chaotic day of surfing. In the end, it was Garret Macnamara and his partner Kealii Manala who took the title with some incredible rides and critical surfing performances.

The Monster Pro kicked off at Pipeline the very next day in huge out of control Pipeline. After passing up a couple pretty nice days, the contest was lucky to get a great final day with some epic 6-8 ft surf. Rob Machado won the contest in 6-8 ft surf with a double barrel in the final. Frederick Pattachia placed second with Ian Walsh, 3rd and Gabriel Villaran from Peru 4th.

This year's Monster Pro came with high stakes for local Pipe surfers who have formed a new union. North shore contingents voted that the top 12 local surfers from the Monster event would secure their seat into next years WCT Pipe Masters which is a pretty big upgrade from the 4 trialists who competed in 2005. Randall Paulson, Aamion Goodwin, Jason Shibata, Dustin Barca and Tory Barron, were just a few who might be selected.

Jason Shibata Pipeline Monster Pro

Makua Rothman Pipeline Monster Pro

Rob Machado Pipeline Monster Pro

The day after the event ended, weather and waves turned off and everyone seemed to just take a well deserved break from the surf, which had pumped for months on end. That break seems to have been a terminal end to the season because there hasn't been a good Pipe day since. We had a couple funky NNW swells after that and adapted a pattern of NE swells that I have never seen this time of the year. The sandbars were getting a lot of attention from surfers around the island, but as the sand packs up on the beach, threatening the endless summer, most surfers have relocated to the only decent spot left Laniakea.

Lanis has now been renamed Turtle Beach and attracts more tourists than surfers causing a traffic jam on the Northshore almost everyday. When I went to check the surf last night, all I could think of was "its over?" we literally went from the biggest swell all season to a summer looking North shore just 3 weeks later. Months of killer solid sized west swells to swells that are so NE they are practically passing by the north shore.

Of course the ladies are going to struggle to get their contest at Pipeline underway. What Pipeline?, say contestants who went to check in today. Oh, you mean the barely breaking right that has the big rip running right through it. Surf forecasters are predicting a La Nina season, which means lower than normal surf heights for spring on the north shore, and by the looks of things right now they seem to be right on.

Honolulu City Lights

Raining and flooding resumed this month with spells of north, cold onshore winds, like the ones we usually get early January. When the river full of dirty run off opened up at Waimea, it sent a frenzy of sharks into the Bay causing authorities to close the beach. Just nights ago a diver went missing (who is rumored to have been a shark attack victim) and today another shark encounter is being reported from Maui involving a young girl in shallow water.

Serious flooding at Kawela Bay

The Wolfpack continues to hold ragers at Breakers every Saturday night and Haleiwa Joes packs in a good crowd for their reggae concerts.

Kelly Slater was in town this month filming a commercial of some kind. Jack Johnson was nominated for a Grammy award "best male pop vocal" Julia Roberts and family were said to have been spotted at the Monster Pipe Pro.

The legendary Kammies Market off Sunset Beach closed down this month. They threw a pa'ina (party) for the community they have served for over 45 years. Quicksilver, yep that company who passed up the biggest swell of the year for the Super Bowl will now occupy the slot which seems to speak volumes for how much the North shore is changing. The North shore continues to lose a little bit more of its soul.

Kammies, well miss you!

Only God knows what will happen next month. Stay tuned. 
by Lane Davey

Jamie Obrien at Off the Wall

Off the Wall

Mikala Jones at Off the Wall

To Surf or Not to Surf, That Is the Question 

May 1, 2006

Sean & Lane Davey

BASED ON 0 MEMBER REVIEWS
HELP ME WITH RATINGS

The beginning of April had a ray of hope, a sunray that is, which was something we had not seen in a long time. After more than 40 days and 40 nights of flooding, Hawaii residents set out like doves in search of our regular lives, but even a month later we are still picking up the pieces of our Paradise Lost.

Not only did the did the islands have to declare a state of emergency to help people repair their homes and property from the freakish weather and flooding for the past 6 weeks, but the massive sewage spill in Honolulu is now being looked into as possibly the worst spill ever in the nation. If anyone questioned if it was safe to go in the water; it wasn't for long.

Oliver Johnson, a 34 year old surfer and mortgage broker died after falling in to the boat harbor just inside of the famous Ala Moana surf break. Though Hawaii State Health officials will not state that his death was connected to the water, everybody else knows. When Johnson fell into the contaminated water with open wounds he developed flesh eating disease and died. Another man was said to have developed a horrible staph infection in his foot just from walking on the sand in Waikiki which is now also being tested for bacteria levels along with the water.

Even on the North shore, the water is still brown and somewhat shark ridden after a month of sunshine. A 6-8 foot great white shark was sighted at Sunset and there were several other sightings this month. I think at this point there are probably more people on the North shore with ear infections and sinus infections than without, but we still have it better than town. Ala Moana Bowls has been vacant all month which is supernatural in itself. The best spot in town with some of the most hardcore surfers on the island and there is no one out tells just how bad the sewage spill really was.

AlaMos

The waves on the other hand haven't been much which depending on how you look at it, is a blessing or a curse. Either you go out in some junk waves and get sick and say well that certainly wasn't worth it or you stay out of the water because it was so junk and its a blessing because if it were really good you would be out there getting sick. We did have a few swells, the last one with some sets nearing 10 ft, but the blustery trades have demolished pretty much every bump that came along this month and the funky swell directions didn't help much either. Things just seem so out of sync with each other.

Even with all the humbug; surfers carried on. World Team qualifications which were held at Kewalos and had amateurs from all the islands had to cancel final rounds and return the next week due to the sewage spill. Raynos Hayes is leading the team and there will be a fundraiser hosted by Local Motion on April 30th to help fund their trip.

Magic Island

The Lifeguards Annual Bodysurfing Event sponsored by Quicksilver got underway in mercury mushy Pipe which must have been a bit of a temptation to sharks who frequent the line up these days, but all made it through okay especially Pete Johnson who won the event held right in front of his house.

Kawekah Bay

Turtle Bay

Former champions Mike Stewart and Todd Sells placed in the top 3. Legendary lifeguard Mark Cunningham and the Lets Go Surf Coalition is leading the charge to stop plans which are in place to build 5 new hotels near Kawela Bay with some 5,000 condos. Rumor has it Donald Trump even has his golden wand on this one. Its going to be tough to stop. Meanwhile traffic continues to worsen on the North shore even without the 5 hotels.

Kamehameha Highway near Turtle Bay

To surf or not to surf; still, the question remains on most surfers minds as swells begin to set up for the south shore which usually pumps this time of year before the drought. Some say it will take a year for conditions to improve since sewage is still leaking out of the Ala Wai and constantly flowing out to bowls. What a shame and a disappointment as we begin to "surf into summer".

Ala Moana Bowls

by Lane Davey

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Somewhere Over the Rainbow 

July 1, 2006

Sean & Lane Davey

BASED ON 1 MEMBER REVIEW
HELP ME WITH RATINGS

There is a Hawaii we know. Right now we are still struggling to get it back. The good news is that there were some kind of ridable waves almost everyday this month on the Northshore. They weren't great waves, but they were waves.

Lanis was the hot spot, but the swells tended to have too much East in them ranging from NNE to ENE making for some kinda side shoulder type stuff and wind swell type conditions where the waves were breaking too close together a lot of the time. It even got up to 5 feet + on a couple days.

The water has cleared up, but is not totally clean in the country. It's great to be able to look out and see the reef shining through the water surface again, but when you go in you will sometimes still see a film on the top. When the swells come, it still gets a bit murky and stirred up from the bottom.

It looks like north shore surf may be on its way to hibernation with no real swells in sight for the future. The water and air temperature has been really cold for Hawaii this time of year.

Sharks closed the beaches once again this month. A total of 4 sharks were spotted at Lanis; two were said to have been around 6-8 feet and the two others close to 13 feet.

Not a shark

Town has had small-medium, swells that have also been quite consistent, if you dared. I don't think you can surf the south shore without feeling somewhat violated by the 48 million gallons of sewage spilling out that you can still smell in some areas. Though signs finally came down at Bowls for memorial day weekend, the lack of surfers in the water still tells the story. Media and government officials tend to be sweeping it under the rug as if all is back to normal, but for local surfers who are experiencing it first hand, it is anything but normal.

Sewage Sign at Ala Moana Beach

The scene at Bowls is like something I have never experienced, eerie to some extent. The normally packed parking lot now offers a stall of your choice. At the beginning of last month, there was a group of us, all standing around looking to each other for endorsement, you know like when the surf is big. It was one of those "are you going out?"

We all coaxed each other to reclaim our territory, and in some sense our lives, but the minute we hit the water, a stench coming from the boat harbor was more than a reality check. Personally, I decided I would risk it for the perfect barreling 3-5 ft waves. I want to say I had a blast and made the most of it, but the truth is I was a lot more concerned with trying not to get any of the dark brown disgusting water in my mouth, matter of fact I was trying real hard not to put my head under (which is basically impossible).

Surfing in the perfect 3-5 waves that day was not fun, it was frustrating and sad to say the least. That night, I already had body aches all over and chills, then stomach pains and cramping accompanied this scenario over the next week and half. About 3 weeks later, just at the end of the month, I thought I would try it again, but knew, it was not back to normal since there were still only 5 guys in the line up, and almost all of them were tourist who I had never seen before.

Unfortunately, the pack of guys I had surfed with three weeks ago were nowhere to be seen. Had they gotten sick too, I wondered? Bottom line, if people weren't getting sick, they would be coming back and the line up would be getting more and more crowded again, instead of staying so scarce. Rumors are circulating about people getting staph infections, boils on their skin and the flu type condition I myself and several others have experienced.

Ala-Mo, not so brown

Though most of us would never let our tough exterior down to admit it, I think we are all realizing that a large part of the crowd we complain about surfing with at Bowls is actually more like family to us since we have all been surfing there together since we can remember. The surf spot to many of us is a home outside of home and we miss it, and we miss our friends who surf there with us. Some are already suggesting the idea, that it will never be the same.

Groups such as Surfrider are getting involved to make sure it will be; they have established a committee which meets every month to discuss the sewage spill and avoid future spills. I now understand why having groups like Surfrider are so important (www.surfrider.org/oahu). Surfers can stay informed about water quality and REPORT ILLNESSES THEY HAVE OBTAINED FROM POLLUTED WATER on the site. Our information and involvement as surfers and beach goers will help support their pursuit of preserving our surf.

The Local Motion Surf Into Summer decided to move their Annual Surf Contest to Sandy Beach and avoid Bowls this year.

As if we didn't have enough affecting our ocean and surf breaks, an oil spill occurred 1.5 miles off Barber's Point dumping two thousand gallons of crude oil. They said it wasn't enough to cause any problems for humans or sea life though.

A large earthquake off Tonga put Oahu and the islands in jeopaardy of a Tsunami. A warning was sent out, but then cancelled soon after. Some schools closed down for the day.

Clear waters of Tonga

Turtle Bay's plan to build 5 resorts near Kawela Bay is really stirring things up in the community. A new organization called "Keep the Northshore Country" (keepthenorthshorecountry.org) is currently building a case against the company to stop the project. Both the builders and the surfers seem pretty determined on this one. It should be interesting to see the outcome.

Turtle Bay Resort in the background

A woman surfer was seriously injured after being run over by a kayaker. This incident challenged the question of zoning for our surf spots, but the idea didn't seem to get to far.

On a lighter note, the nightlife is gradually gaining strength on the North shore. Matty Liu threw a Cinco De Mayo Party this month at Turtle Bay. The Banzai Sushi joint behind Patagonia has a cool Hawaiian Reggae type band on Sundays and then there's always Breakers on Saturday. Plus, Kainoa's always has entertainment for a good local crowd. Ola's at Turtle Bay is becoming a hot spot for dinner or drinks. Its a nice restaurant which sits right on the beach.

At this point most surfers seem to have taken the Travel option, but that's normal anyways. Fred Patacchia took second at the WCT in Tahiti. Indo is a hot spot for sure this year. Sean Davey just came back from a trip there along with Jamie O'Brien who was working on wrapping up his new surf video.

Mentawais, Indonesia

The tourist still see Hawaii as a hot spot, and are coming by the droves despite the current struggles. Waikiki seems as busy as ever. 

Aerial of Honolulu

Aloha,
by Lane Davey

Plumeria

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Hana Hou

August 1, 2006

Sean & Lane Davey

BASED ON 0 MEMBER REVIEWS
HELP ME WITH RATINGS

Bonus Month of surf for both North and South shores. The North shore had little waves trickling in through the first half of the month, but it wasn't over until the fat barrels sung one more tune. On June 11th the North shore saw 6 foot sets by evening and then the next day proceeded with solid 6-8 ft consistent surf.

Pipeline

Pipeline had some spitting tubes that you just wouldn't believe for the middle of June, but even with the sneaky summer backwash and strong trades blowing up the face, Hawaiian surfers made it seem perfect. There were however some wipeouts which were almost as amazing as the tube rides, but surfers from every side of the island made their way to the North shore to get a taste of it. The whopper of a swell lasted about three days and the North shore went into hibernation.

Just after that we got the best waves so far this summer in town, and Ala Moana Bowls was still vacant with some lonely tube rides (and for good reason). Surfers have been suffering from serious staph infections and boils; I know of at least two guys who had to have surgery on their staph wounds, one who told me personally that he had to get 4 surgeries and is currently on his 4th strain of antibotics because the others didn't work. Others of us were suffering from an itchy rash for most of the month due to a type of a bacterial infection of the skin. Ironically, most of us kept coming back for more, despite it all, to take advantage of such uncrowded surf at the Bowl. The water quality has cleaned up a lot and either the smell is gone or I have just gotten used to it.

By the end of the month however, business was getting back to usual as locals skeptically made their way back out to the sewage ridden break. This is a time that will never be forgotten at Ala Moana and all for different reasons. The Hawaii State Championships were not afraid to brave the toilet Bowls and persevered with their contest. Winners were Ola Elogram, Kekoa Cazimero, Casey Brown and Lani Hunter. The King of the Grom Competition marked the fourth day of competition at Bowls on King Kamehameha Day and was fittingly won by John John Flourence.

JohnJohn Flourence

The Hurley Grom search went off at Kewalos and the annual Military Surf Contest prevailed at White Plains on the west side. The Ladies enjoyed some of that fun south shore surf in China's 10th Annual Wahine Contest at Queens.

China's 10th Annual Wahine Contest at Queens

A far cry from Queens, Banzai Betty just received the official documents from the state granting her the permit for her women's Pipe Contest next year. I think the new dates are March 6-16, 2007. Check www.banzaibetty.com for frequent updates on the contest.

Melani Bartels

Andy Irons won the Rip Curl Pro in Mexico in epic rights. Another neck and neck showdown between Kelly and Andy so far this year.

Surfrider Oahu participated in this years International Surfing Day by inviting the public to participate in the newly formed Wastewater Spill Response Committee. Get involved and save our surf www.surfrider.org/oahu.

Our summer Monk Seal has made her way back to Turtle Bay with a little Pup. Fans from everywhere have been making the journey to see her.

Monk Seal and Pup

Long time north shore residents, Mike and Kristina Hemperly got married this month.

The Hemperlys

Don Tiki played at Turtle Bay which is like an old school Jazz style music. Emcee Talib Kweli and Erika Badu played at Pipeline Cafe presented by Dig Lifestyles entertainment who have recently formed a dope new urban lifestyle boutique in town. See www.diglifestyles.com to stay tuned for future events. Hip Hop Mogul Russell Simmons paid a visit to the islands to promote his new Golf collection by hosting an event at Fashion 45.

Surfers definitely made up for lost water time last month. Waves have been pretty much non stop, which is a good thing since the ocean looks pretty quiet for the near future, our typical July.

Pupukea

I myself am off to Minneapolis to participate in the second annual B-Girl Be; an all women's Hip Hop art exhibit where my new Us Girls urban apparel range will be released. Check it out the new collection at www.usgirlshawaii.com. 

A hui hou. Lane Davey

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Spirit of Aloha 

September 1, 2006

Sean & Lane Davey

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HELP ME WITH RATINGS

Though the north shore lagged all month, south shores kept surfers busy in August. These are the months where you get to work while its flat and surf while its happening because the flat spells in between are really flat.

The north shore only broke a couple times this month, and even then, it was under 2 feet. Town had about 3 good spells of swells, the first of which was at the very beginning of last month (which was a bit of a let down since the media hyped it up for 2 weeks telling us it would be the swell of the summer). It was however an everlasting swell. We had waves in the 3-5 foot range for about 2 weeks straight. There were a couple more surges of swell in the 3-4 foot range that lasted about week.

The water is still really dirty at times in Honolulu. Whenever the tide gets real high or the swell comes in, it gets so brown that you can't even see your feet hanging underneath you. It's such a shame for a place which used to be so beautiful with that electric green glow.

A huge plastic sewage Pipe now welcomes you into Waikiki on the edge of Ala Moana park. Beautiful- Not! Embarrassing. Yuck. There is a controversial rumor about a kid catching flesh eating disease from yet another sewage spill at another Ala Moana Beach in Kailua caused by a car which ran into the Pipe? It all sounds as strange to me as it does to you, trust me. Nonetheless, it's better than it was 2-3 months ago.

Speaking of clean water, Surfrider celebrated 10 years of volunteerism in Hawaii at the end of August. They will hold a party and show a surf flick at Next Door nightclub in downtown Honolulu.

It seemed like there was some sort of longboarding contest every weekend last month and you know what; there kind of was. China had his contest; the groms had an event, and the month finished off with the Duke festival in some pretty decent surf.

Longboarders at Queens

Yes, it is called the Dukes festival in memory of Duke Kahanamoku. The event, which coincides with his birthday, includes a one mile swim, paddleboard races and a variety of ocean activities including of course surfing. The surfing contest is pretty innovative, incorporating legends like Ben Aipa, Rabbit Kekai and Jericho Poplar who team up with employees of local companies such as Hawaiian Airlines, Outrigger Waikiki, KGMB 9 news and many more in team challenges.

Tony Moniz - Dukefest '06

Surfers at Queens

The nice thing about surfing in Honolulu, especially Waikiki, is that you get the true feeling of Aloha. Everyone knows everyone and there are lots of cool local braddahs hanging around. It's just really refreshing in some ways from the new North shore scene which always seems to be about getting something rather than giving something back.

Sea life is giving us plenty of Aloha this month. Waimea Bay has had packs of all different kinds of fish and numerous turtles along with spinner dolphins, putting on somewhat of a circus from time to time.

Speaking of Waimea, it looks like there may be no more parking at the church. Though North shore has been perfect diving conditions, rumor has it that Goat Island has had double overhead wind waves at times throughout last month.

Kammies Market and that whole shopping area has completely disappeared and all we can see is one cement wall. Rumor has it, the plans to build at Kawela Bay are making inroads again because they found some type of glitch in the old contract.

Turtle and Kawela Bays

Drew Toonz threw a party at Banzai Sushi for his famous cartoon series Surf School. The premier was for Surf School 3. Ace Cool, who we saw at the party mentioned that he had been working on a new surf film from which details have not yet been released, but it sounded like "the real thing".

Some Drew Toonz art on the North Shore

Black Eyed Peas played at the Blaisdell Arena with opening act Lyrics Born. Da Hui held their annual fundraiser at Pipeline Cafe.

Nothing creeping into the window for North shore surf yet, but hopefully this month will be a whole different story. 

A hui hou
Lane Davey

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Hawaii Surf Notes - September Recap 

October 1, 2006

Sean & Lane Davey

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HELP ME WITH RATINGS

Consistent south shore surf prevailed throughout the month. Though it was nice to have such a good run of surf, surfers were bummed out that surf heights never went over 6 feet all summer and even the 6 foot waves were scarce. There was one swell that probably had a six foot wave every 2 hours and that was one of only three of those swells all summer long.

Winter is still far from getting under way. We had one swell in the 1-3 ft range and a couple other swells about 1/2 that size all month on northern shores. The crowds were a lot bigger than the waves since surf has been unusually inconsistent on north shores this summer. There are 2 swells on the horizon for north shores next week while the south shores go dormant. The weather made a drastic change towards the end of last month; from hot to cool and the sun is rising and setting much earlier.

The community is filled with voting billboards and politicians waving at you all the time as we prepare for elections. I think surfers are taking politics more seriously these days with a perpetual push towards new developments on the North shore and a threat to our roadways, waters and way of life, not to mention a seeming increase in sewage spills and run off.

Body Surfing has been going through a renaissance in recent seasons here on the north shore. There is a steadily growing community of keen bodysurfers, just waiting on those magic glassy days at OTW and Pupukea. Some have been out enjoying some of the small swells at OFF THE WALL recently.

Tandem surfing seemed to make a comeback at last month's Duke Fest in Waikiki and they are the highlight of summer to Hawaii's media.

Tandem surfing

The Kawela Bay project is still finding loopholes to push its way through the court system. No one really seems to know what's going on.

Kawela Bay

Looks like the Catholic Church at Waimea has finally privatized their parking lot. First they put up no parking signs and now there is a new gate being build around it. It was nice of them to let surfers use it all these years. Parking is going to be at more of a premium than ever during big swells this winter.

Girl Fest came to Hawaii this month exhibiting women DJs, poets and a film documentary festival. This kept Honolulu's nightclub scene busy for about 2 weeks. Matty Liu has been holding his weekly chemistry lounge at Longhi's these days. He hosted the Kai Mana Awards party for Free Surf Magazine this month. WSSM (Womens Surf Style Magazine) has expanded from its root in Hawaii to California and recently Florida.

The new Go! airlines is really holdin' it down here for interisland flights forcing all major carriers to submit to the sale price of $29 each way to outer islands. Go!, hosted by Mesa Airlines has reportedly had an incredible start here in Hawaii and plans to keep low fares available to customers.

This month's report will be dedicated to legendary photographer Warren Bolster who took his own life this month. Warren struggled with his health both physically and mentally for years and was said to have been on a high dosage of oxycontin to keep him out of pain. Nonetheless, we all saw him out at Pipeline, Ala Moana and other intense line ups right to the end. He was last seen by most at the Dukes Fest in Waikiki. His images which pioneered surf photography will surely live forever. RIP Warren.

by Lane Davey

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November 1, 2006

Sean & Lane Davey

BASED ON 1 MEMBER REVIEW
HELP ME WITH RATINGS

Consistent surf throughout the whole month of October left surfers pretty satisfied. In the beginning of the month you were excited to see a 4 foot wave and by the end of the month you were pumping it.

Jason Frederico

Waves were up on all sides of the island, so much so that some days during the month you would wake up and wonder where to surf. The abundance also kept the crowds down to almost nothing at times. Conditions were pretty much as good as it gets except for a couple days where it turned onshore in the country, but was then straight offshore in town where there were a couple 6 foot sets.

Jack Johnson

The Northshore had one swell with sets as high as 10 ft It was big enough to get the outer reefs moving, but not really pushing into the surf spots full force. There were about 3 other swells ranging in the 4-8 ft category and almost everyday seemed to be at rleast 3 somewhere ft.

Shane Beschen

Pipe had one really killer west day even though there was still a big warble running through the wave due to the sand. The sand has been moved since by a couple good sized north swells and even the sandbars are looking fun.

Pipeline

Actually, a big topic on the Northshore right now is erosion, possibly from last springs monumental flooding. Sand which is usually piled up after summer was scarce this year. The little lagoons that form near Pipe usually fill in after just a few days of small surf but for some reason one managed to still around all summer. Some of the houses on the beach by Pupukea are somewhat threatened with their decks hanging out into space with a 10 ft drop off.

Pupukea Erosion

If that wasn't enough to make you think about global warming; Hawaii had a 6.5 earthquake around 7:06am on Oct 15th which caused enough damage on the Big Island to call for a "state of emergency" by governor Linda Lingle. Oahu did not have damage like the Big Island, but most residents said it was the biggest earthquake they had ever felt. Most people were extremely nervous about the threat of a tsunami, especially my husband who was trying to contact me because I was out surfing during the quake. ha ha. obviously- no tsunami hit, but the whole island of Oahu lost power for most of the day and of course the Northshore was the last of everyone to get their power back on at 11:30pm.

I guess the Northshorians have lost another battle of "keeping the country,country" because Turtle Bay got approval for expansion into Kawela Bay. With signs still posted for a town meeting, I don't think the they will give up that easy somehow. Stay tuned.

Turtle Bay

Several volunteers who watched and studied the Turtle Bay Monk Seal and her pup here for weeks were devastated to hear that the pup died last week after getting caught in a gill fishing net. Ironically, the pup was moved from Turtle Bay to the east side of the island for safety where she was found dead.

Monk Seal and Pup

The Historic Haleiwa bridge has been refurbished and looks really nice, even though it stopped traffic for about 10 days.

Contest director Banzai Betty Depolito thanks T&C surf for stepping up to support the girls in the making of her historic Women's Pipeline Championship. She is currently however seeking a title sponsor for the events third annual competition held from March 6-16 2007 which includes women's surfing, bodyboarding and longboarding.

Grommets took over the Northshore as they came from all islands to compete at Sunset for NSSA.

Clay Marzo

The menehune then had their contest at Haleiwa on a perfect 4-6 ft glassy day; I don't know who was having the most fun, the parents surfing the outside, or the kids on the inside reform.

Menehune

More Menehune

Ben Aipa

Sean Davey is currently preparing for his fine art photography showing at the Canon Gallery on the corner of Ward and Ala Moana Blvd opposite the mall. Opening night is November 1st from 6-8pm, but the exhibit will be open for viewing all throughout the month. Sean has named the show Silver Linings which will exhibit 27 of his favorite prints which will be available for purchase at $300 unframed.

by Lane Davey

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Global Warming??? 

December 1, 2006

Sean & Lane Davey

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HELP ME WITH RATINGS

If the sewage spill we endured this summer in town wasn't enough to turn you into an environmentalist, last month in Hawaii would have definitely raised a few questions about global warming. Basically, where are our waves? I heard through the grapevine that it was the slowest November on record for the North shore in 60 years. In fact, it was definitely the slowest one I've ever seen in my 18 years here.

Charlie Carroll - Rocky Point

There were only about 2 high surf advisories issued all month and that means just about 6-8 feet Hawaiian scale. I think the east side probably had more advisory surf last month than the north shore and town still has surf, with another swell predicted.

False Starts Before the Guns Sparks 

January 1, 2007

Sean & Lane Davey

BASED ON 1 MEMBER REVIEW
HELP ME WITH RATINGS

Hawaii's Winter season 2006 might resemble a set of false starts for surfers. Small surf and then forecasted swells that never really materialized time after time again. For a surfer, who has to be physically, mentally and spiritually prepared to surf big waves, it is frustrating to come to the beach everyday to find out its another false start because, like a runner coming out of the blocks, it can kill your momentum.

Bonga Perkins

To add to the anxiety, surf and buoy reports have been extremely inconsistent this year. As we speak I am looking at 4 different reports which say four different things and buoy reports that don't match what I see at the beach. I have to say however, as long as it took and as weird as it was, December delivered! The Bay only broke once for about 2 hours in the 18 ft range, but it was really stormy wild and all over the place, but the Pipeline began to pop its head out during December.

It started with one 8-12 foot stormy swells and then several days of 6-8 foot surf with a couple days offering 10 ft sets and one day breaking out on the second reef. The 4-6 foot days in between those swells were pretty fun with really clean conditions so something for everyone in the country not to mention the solid 3-5 ft+ town swell Santa sent us just before Christmas which had the whole north shore circus taking their act to Ala Moana. I couldn't believe it when I drove up on Dec 18 and saw a solid 6 ft plus set almost close out the channel at the Big Bowl. It was almost as good as anything we had summer. wow.

Ala Moana Bowls

The Triple Crown Season was like none other. It definitely feels as if surfing as a sport has hit the mainstream for spectators who crowded around to watch at each and every leg of the events. Pro surfers even had fans who held up signs with their names them. It was kinda funny. As I wondered why, suddenly so much hoopla, I found a tourist magazine listing NORTH SHORE in big letters on the cover under the title "top 100 things to do in Oahu on vacation". After that I noticed several more of these mags publicizing the north shore. What they fail to mention is that the traffic is getting so bad it can take two hours to get down the hill from Wahiawa to Pipeline on big days and that's not even good big days. Its not that I'm against the tourists, its just that we don't have the capacity to facilitate them out here; the traffic, the parking, it just doesn't exist for the publicity the North Shore is getting these days as a top tourist spot.

Rockpiles

Despite all the congestion it was a great year for local surfers. Kauai boy Andy Irons won the OP Pro the Rip Curl Pipe Masters and the Triple Crown meanwhile west side wahine Melanie Bartels took the Roxy Pro at Sunset Beach. Rumor has it Keala Kennely who was awarded 2nd at the Billabong Pro has retired from the tour at least for next year giving Rochelle Ballard who missed making the WCT by one slot an open door to return next year. 16 local Pipe specialist were seeded into the Pipemasters this year instead of 2 thanks to the Hawaii Pro surfers Union lead by Liam McNamara.

Roy Powers

Kalani Chapman

Jesse Merle Jones

The photographers were just as busy as the surfers during the Triple Crown attending Cannons series of annual events. After photog night there were several meetings and workshops hosted by Amy Kwadler and several other guest speakers to help get our surf photographers updated on the newest models, programs and information on digital photography.

The Northshorians are still fighting their battle against the Turtle Bay Development. There have been meetings in the country and Surfrider is hosting one in town tomorrow to "break the silence" about what's been going on out here. Sipping Jet Streams, a new film by Taylor Steel with photography by Dustin Humphrey hosted two events in support of the efforts to stop the North Shore development. We are also currently fighting to win back Kahuku Hospital who recently claimed chapter 11 due to a lack of funds. Legendary women surfer Karen Gallagher has started her own magazine called Paumalu which brings awareness to these and several other issues that are now such a big concern here on the north shore.

Aerial of Turtle Bay

Eddie Vedder

We were not lacking entertainment this month either. After the Eddie Aikau opening ceremonies Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam played at Waimea Falls Park in a very intimate invite only setting with around 200 surfers ranging from MR to Ben Aipa and Kelly Slater who played on stage with the group. A week later U2 held a concert with Pearl Jam at Aloha Stadium in Pearl City which was almost totally full. It seemed like everyone was there, even surfers who had to compete the next day. Billy Joel also played in Honolulu and the Pointer Sisters came to ring in the New Year.

Pipeline

The future looks bright with a solid 15 ft WNW predicted for tomorrow and more surf for the weekend. The Haleiwa International is on and the bodyboarders are on tap with two contests in the first two weeks of January. The Bank of Hawaii Tow In Championships are also in their holding period along with the Eddie Aikau.

On your mark, Get Set, Stay tuned!

- by Lane Davey

Moments of Glory 

February 1, 2007

Sean & Lane Davey

BASED ON 1 MEMBER REVIEW
HELP ME WITH RATINGS

While it's no typical Hawaiian Winter by any means, January 2007 had some moments of glory. We had some fun surf New Years Day but a lot of hype over the next swell had everyone waiting for the Eddie on Jan 2. It was said to only have been 8 feet at Waimea that morning while Pipe was a perfect 10-12 but rising rapidly and totally out of control by midday, and then some sizable Waimea by late afternoon. The Bay broke a couple more half days, but that was about it and the conditions weren't too good for it either.

Waimea

The bodyboarding contest was held in incredible surf for both men and women's events; some of the best Pipe all year for sure. The girls kicked off in horrible and dangerous conditions with waves doubling up and heaving over the shallow reef. By the second round there were 10 ft waves with some 12 ft sets in the final. It was some of the most exciting women's sports action I have ever seen with an incredible display of courage, determination and strength.

Pipeline

Pipeline

Pipeline

The men's competition had cleaner surf in the 10+ ft range for most of the event and dropping a notch for the final. Daniel Freitas won for the women's and Hawaii's own Jeff Hubbard for the men. Mike Stewart won the event on Maui. Bodyboarders ruled the North shore all month and are still here in droves, but they should be clearing out as the boys begin preparing for this year's Monster Pro and the line ups are extremely intense to say the least.

Mike Stewart

Though Pipe had a few free sessions reaching the 12 ft range and popping on the second reef most of the swells were disorganized and/ or wind blown; its been pretty frustrating and ever changing by the minute. Usually by the time January comes around, you don't mind the trying surf conditions because you've had your fill of big waves, but this year it's all we got so its creating a lot of anxiety for surfers.

Randal Paulson

Si Milosky

On January 11th, Joaquin Velilla was lost at sea. He went out for a late surf after the contest on a rising swell which was solid 12 ft on the sets by dark. No one saw what happened, but his board was found on the beach and his car still parked at Pipe late that night when his girlfriend Mariella came home from work and realized he had not returned. Sadly, the body was never found, but a beautiful service was held for him as a group of friends and family paddled out to Pipe and paid their respects. Joaquin and Mariella moved to the North shore from Puerto Rico several years back and have become respectable surfers and members of the community here. Joaquin's legacy will live forever and his friends will feel like he is always out there surfing with us. RIP Joaquin.

Pipeline, January 11th. RIP Joaquin Velilla

The Haleiwa International Surfing Event was presented by FreeSurf Magazine this year. They had some great waves and great surfing. Mason Ho won the Hard Rock Jr Pro at Sunset. Ace Kool's tow in event has Bank of Hawaii as a presenting sponsor this year. The west side threw their annual Makahiki Festival. Surf has been cleaner there on the big days this year.

Joel Centieo

Kekoa Bacalso

ESPN has been here filming something with Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Parko and a few others. Paparazzi photographers were also lurking around North shore beaches anxiously awaiting to expose the rumor that Cameron Diaz and Kelly Slater were having a fling. Daryl Hannah was also seen recently hanging with some pro skateboarder.

Kelly Slater

Rob Machado

The Turtle Bay Development Project was rumored to have gone back to court, so they haven't won yet. Meanwhile the traffic problem here on the North shore is still getting worse and worse.

North Shore Traffic

We had yet another tsunami threat this month from an 8.5 earthquake off the Kuril islands, however no significant tsunami occurred. Its been a bit chilly here for Hawaii this month, but the weather has been pretty nice for January.

Typical day at Waimea Bay - Last week of January 2007

Future surf forecasts are looking more promising for sizable surf, but not so good for conditions as this season's saga continues... stay tuned.

by Lane Davey

Humpback Whale at Pipe

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Restart 

March 1, 2007

Sean & Lane Davey

BASED ON 1 MEMBER REVIEW
HELP ME WITH RATINGS

Did you ever play a video game and start out so bad you just hit the restart button, then you did it again and again and again until you finally got a good rhythm going in the game? I was earnestly seeking that red button all winter; as each month came I thought, this will be it, this will be the month where it really turns on, but it really just never happened.

Flynn Novack

There were a few decent swells in February, it was similar to January, but it certainly was not good enough to make up for the rest of the year. As a matter of fact, a good portion of the month was plagued with horrible winds and you know it just never really did the dang thang here on the North shore this year.

One thing you can be sure of is that you are probably not the only one feeling left a little hungry this winter. The Waimea guys got really ruined. If there were any 20 foot sets this year, you could count them on one hand and that would be pushin' it, and I don't mean for one day, I mean all year. The Pipeline had several days of second reef surf if you don't mind surfing in between wash through waves or surfing contests. This year, most of the events took 1/2 days because of the poor conditions causing the spot to be even more overloaded than usual.

Despite the fact that so many days were taken by the contests, the Monster Pro was run in pretty terrible conditions compared to former years. One morning of the event however had really clean conditions and 12 foot sets, but a lot of the waves were still shutting down right in the middle.

Jesse Hines

Many pertinent Pipe surfers struggled to make their way into the quarters qualifying them into next years Pipemasters, but it was certainly a task especially on the final day which looked like a big beach break with swells coming from about 4 different angles. Jamie O' Brien was not phased by any of it, taking his third Pipe title that day. Runner up Australian Mark Matthews made his mark in the event grabbing one of the best Pipe waves ridden all season, Rob Machado took third and Gavin Gillette fourth. Flynn Novak was pretty stoked to make semis along with young Chaz Chidester, Fred Patacchia and Danny Fuller.

Mark Mathews

Ironically, the Monster Pro ended on the same night as the Bob Marley fest concert with Lauryn Hill, providing contestants with the perfect celebration. They played at the Water Park so a bunch of the guys packed into limos and did it right that night.

North Shore Limo

When they called off the Monster Pro one day due to the swell being too big for Pipe; Jamie Sterling, Jamie O Brien, Dave Wassell and Garrett McNamara teamed up to take advantage of an ESPN film crew who had a permit allowing them to tow in from the third reef. That was pretty exciting to watch because they had so much speed they were able to carve up and down the huge faces of the wave and really surf it like never before.

Dave Wassel

Jamie Sterling

The Bank of Hawaii Tow In Event ran on February 15th, which just so happened to be the biggest most rideable Pipe day all year, which shows that they didn't get what they wanted size-wise for the tow in event, but still delivered some great surfing all the same.

North Shore Tow

The Bay was reported to have had a couple 18 foot waves early that morning around 9:30am which was probably the peak of the swell, but the afternoon was more consistently breaking in the 12-15 ft range when Makua Rothman and his partner Ikaika Kalama won the event leaving Brazilians Carlos Burle and Heraldo Gurrieros to take second place. It was a busy day for lifeguards who performed 9 rescues at Pipe alone.

North Shore Tow

North Shore Tow

Cholos Mexican Restaurant is getting behind the girls along with Heavywater Magazine to present the Women's Pipeline Championships from March 6-16 so we will see if the waves will come together and deliver a nice package for the girls this year. There have been more girls than ever spotted charging big Pipe, and a handful of Brazilian girls have been taking it to a new level in big surf this year so it should be an exciting event.

Pipeline

Plenty of whales were putting on a good show for locals and tourists alike this month along with an occasional Monk seal.

Monk Seal

There were also a couple small days where the water was so clear, it seemed as if you were surfing in an aquarium.

Pipeline

Brian Bielman won a photo contest for Red Bull, which earned him some cold cash money and a ticket too shoot for them this year.

Volcom purchased the Pipe house for a rumored 4.2 million dollars. They practically own the Pipe path now.

Pipe Aerial

At this point, it's looking like Game Over already. Tiny surf and summer like conditions prevail, besides the fact that its still pretty cold for Hawaii. Typical March looking trade wind weather has set in as well, but surf forecasters predict that the jetstream could reform for one more big one so we won't give up hope. Town is starting to show face already; a true sign that summer is around the corner.

by Lane Davey

Fire Dancers

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April Fools With Local Rules 

May 1, 2007

Sean & Lane Davey

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April certainly did fool us this year. When I left to Tasmania at the beginning of the month thinking the Northshore would be well into its usual slumber, I was wrong. That week offered a solid 6-8 foot North swell and then a couple 4-6 ft days at Pipe; one of those days was taken by the annual lifeguards bodysurfing competition there.

Mark Cunningham

The variable winds were junking it up in the afternoons but the mornings were good, that's what I was told anyways. I couldn't have had better timing when I came back on Easter Sunday, right in the middle of a rising WNW swell reaching the 15 ft range which offered some fun Waimea waves at the Bay that evening even though the road had been closed due to a rock slide which occurred just a couple days prior.

Waimea Beach Road

It was nice for Pipe surfers who woke up the next day to surf some really uncrowded and really big Pipe. A few waves even broke from the second reef that day and then by midday, conditions began to deteriorate.

Bombing Pipe

The rock slide kept crowds down in the country for most of the month even though they had one side of the road open to drive through most of the time. I guess people did not want to deal with the wait or the traffic; whoopie. The Northshore this month was like a breath of fresh air; no pros, photogs or media hype, this month was for the locals, just enjoying each other and sharing waves and having it all to themselves.

Ehukai

Ehukai

Though conditions never quite cooperated as we would have liked, no one is complaining much about a few days of 10+ surf and several days over 4 feet in April. The trades were just whipping it up half the time and for Pipe the sand had began filing in again making for  some warbly and washy surf. Actually, I have to blame the bulldozers who moved the sand manually. Whenever they show up it seems to pose a problem with the waves. Much like the winter type swells were the air and water temperatures this month. Though it wasn't snowing here in Hawaii like it was some places on the mainland, it was one of the coldest springs I can remember.

Rick

Props to Garret McNamara for winning 2 Billabong XXL awards including the Monster Paddle in award from a wave at Mavericks and the Surfline Overall Performance award. Garret seemed pretty stoked to let everyone know he can still paddle into waves, not just tow.

Garrett McNamara

Maya Gaberia from Brazil is somewhat of a local here on Northshore as she stays here all winter long charging on every big day; she took the Billabong Women's overall performance for XXL this year and deservingly so.

Maya Backdoor at Pipeline

Mos Def played 2 concerts at Pipeline Cafe and was dope. He freestyled over the top of some old gold such as Marvin Gaye and sampled some of his newest flavor as well. The Kokua Festival was a bang this year featuring Jack Johnston and Eddie Veder of Pearl Jam.

Jack Johnson at Rockies

Eddie Vedder

The Dalai Lama even visited the islands and spoke on two separate occasions here this month. They are filming a couple of movies around here right now, but I haven't really been informed on what they are yet. A Japanese visitor has gone missing on Oahu and the investigation is still pending.

Town had a few more little swells trickling in last month, but nothing real significant yet marking the start of summer.

On a few days during the month when there wasn't much surf, the crystal clear water was like an aquarium once again. Bottle Nosed Dolphins visited the Bay during the few days of flat surf. There were so many of them jumping up and down it seemed as if they were leading the circus where  the whales joined in on the act.

Dolphins

Dolphins

Dolphins

The amateur series had their competition at Ehukai on one of those really small days, but the kids had no problem making the most of the tiny little sandbar shelves which were reeling almost out to sea at times making for some long rides.

On April 23, I arrived at Pipe at the crack of dawn as I do all year long, but instead of racing 50 surfers down the beach out into the high pressured lineup, I watched the waves dance all by themselves with no one out for almost an hour until a pack of the local crew paddled out together; just about 7 of us. Conditions were far from ideal with some serious backwash, gusty trades and waves which were shifting all over the place, but the boys managed to pick off some pits for what was probably the last bomber swell of the year.

Dino Miranda

Wade Tokoro

We came in and left two bodyboarders out to have it all to themselves who were just exchanging barrel after perfect barrel. I think it was Jeff Hubbard and his brother. The surf which was a little too warbly for surfers this month provided a perfect playground for bodyboarders who at times had it all to themselves.

Pipeline Boogie Boarding

Pipeline Boogie Boarding

I couldn't find the nerve to get close enough to the peak to find a wave that day, but I did find that pureness of surfing again after a long and somewhat frustrating winter. It was nice to end it on the beach with just a few friends and my husband all enjoying each other and the environment we cherish. If you can imagine walking down the stretch of sand at Ehukai from Off The Wall to Rocky Point and not seeing a single head popping out of any of the beachfront houses, that is what it is like to be on the Northshore in April, it is truly country.

Golden North Shore Sunset

The forecast seems to be going into a more normal spring type pattern in the near future, but nothing would surprise me this year.

by Lane Davey

Kelii Moniz

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Do Your Chores 

June 1, 2007

Sean & Lane Davey

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After a long consistent surf season, May was the month for Hawaii surfers to catch up on all that stuff we have been putting off all winter. There wasn't much surf at all in May. We had one really fun little 3-4 foot swell on the North shore in the beginning of the month and then it pretty much went to sleep with only 1-2 ft surf for most of the rest of the month... And those were the good days.

Jason Shibata

Town wasn't much better, with just a couple of days reaching into the 4 ft range. I'm starting to wonder if this summer is going to be just like the winter: late and smaller than normal.

If you were looking for work to do while the surf was flat, being a movie extra was a good option. There were a few movies filming out here this month. Lost, two feature films, a Japanese movie and a couple reality shows on the neighbor islands is what I've heard. Wow. The only bummer is most locals are not known for getting past the extra category and into any real acting parts.

The one that started it all: Blue Crush

The Big Island made national news recently, not because of the 4.7 earthquake but because of the Volcano which is spewing pretty hard right now. The VOG is reaching Oahu with our variable wind conditions however and if you have allergies, it ain't so pretty.

Lava Fountain

Vog sunset at Rockpile on the north shore of Oahu.

Jimmy Hall, the famous owner of North Shore Shark Tours died base jumping while on an expedition in the Artic this month. His family grieves, but expressed that he died doing exactly what he loved and yearned to do.

A murderer fled from a crime scene in Kaneohe to the North shore and was surrounded by police at Lanikai after an encounter with local surfer Chip Lane, who said the guy busted out a wad of cash and was begging him for a ride to Haleiwa. On a separate occasion, Dillon Ching was killed while trying to stop a fight at a party near Sharks Cove. The North shore is getting a little sketchy at times especially with the ever expanding ice epidemic and homeless situation here in Hawaii. Unfortunately, many of the homeless these days are victims to the rise in housing costs and hardworking whole families are being put out on the streets. It's a very sad and frustrating problem right now in the islands.

A Christian ministry group called Surfing the Nations held a contest at Queens for a drug free Hawaii. Duane DeSoto won the 2nd event in the Shaka Longboard Series at Files surf break in Kakaako. The Macys E series had to cancel their contest at Bowls scheduled this month to a later time due to the fact that most the guys were off island at another pro contest.

Raimana at Teahupoo

Matter of fact, most surfers were gone this month, traveling or otherwise. Barrel riders were in Tahiti, WQS surfers on the mainland and Longboarders in France. Sean Davey was on King Island Tasmania earlier this month shooting a contest for creative new surfboard designs. Surfing finless was probably the highlight.

Tom Carroll finless, at Musica Surfica 2007,  King Island, Australia

Sage Josk at Musica Surfica 2007, King Island, Australia

Tom Wegener surfing finless at Musica Surfica 2007, King Island, Australia

Davey's folio is currently posted on Surfline so make sure to go and check it out.

Hawaii experienced yet another shark attack which occurred on Maui this month.

Not a Shark but a Whale

The Jelly fish were also on the hunt and seemed to have gotten the best of a few tourists. There was even a report of a man being stung by a sting ray at Pipe this month. I guess the local sea life is enjoying the uncrowded beaches as much as we are.

Ehukai

Despite the small surf, it was extremely beautiful on the North shore this month. Some mornings were so pristine, they seemed more like a dream.

Ehukai

The cool weather extended through most of the month, but we finally saw some warmer water and humid conditions towards the end of the month.

Lane Davey at AlaMo

There were several amateur events that started on Memorial Day weekend to kick off summer so hopefully now that we are all caught up with our chores, we will get some good surf next month.

by Lane Davey

Lane Davey at AlaMo

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Summer Soltice

July 1, 2007

Sean & Lane Davey

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It certainly is Summer. As yesterday marked the first day of summer, the waves this past week have confirmed it. Small almost non existent surf on both sides of the island.

Off The Wall,  north shore

We had lots of fun surf in town however through most of the month. One swell delivered some 5 ft waves and a few days with 4 ft, but it was a pretty consistent 2-3 ft in town until the very end of the month.

Ala Moana Bowls

Buttons surfing at Ala Mo Bowls

The Northshore  had a couple really fun little swells late May early June, but  became virtually unridable until the end of the month when Northshore victims were extremely excited to enjoy some trade wind wrap at Lani's, Kami's and Chuns.

Mike Latronic at Backdoor, north shore

Myles Padaca at Backdoor, north shore

The weather has been a bit weird here. It gets really hot at times, but then we have had some really cool trades and the water temperature is cooler than normal so sometimes I feel like I have a fever. You get really hot on the land, but in the water your hands go numb, in June?

The amateur contest season was in full effect this month. First we had the Local Motion at Bowls, then the State Championship at Bowls, then the China Rip Curl Girls meet at Queens.

The annual Military Surf Classic was held at Kalealoa and then the T&C Grom Fest at Queens.  Carissa Moore seems to be the leading grom fest. Rumors circulate about her beating all the boys at the Grom contest and others. 

Carissa Moore at the China classic, Waikiki

Since school got out early June, it seems like every day is a grom fest.The little buggas are just grabbing every way they can see. It seems like we are in the pass it on era. Most guys I know are teaching their kids how to surf so its like you get double for your trouble out in the line up, but end up having more fun watching the grommets catch waves than if you were to ride them yourself.

The stand up paddle thing seems to be the new remedy to the summer blues. It seems like every time I look at the ocean theres one of them out there paddling, you know just paddling. 

Personally, I am a bit nervous what the line ups will look like next winter with this paddle surf thing being the new "hype" and everyone wanting to be "the first" to do it here and there and get famous for it, you know the drill. All the local mags around here have been promoting the heck out of this thing. Brian Keaulana even started his own stand up paddling company.

Tony Moniz at Waikiki

The jr. lifeguards are at it again. A great program lead by our Hawaii lifeguards grooming our youth about water safety. A shark attack recently occured a Silva's, but the surfer was unharmed. Carol Phillips is leading the charge by holding a hearing today for the Save Kawela Bay Project. It sounds like they are trying to close the parking lot at Kaiser/Bowls. They have been dredging out the lagoon over there for about a year now and have a big wall up so people cant see what they are doing. Its weird. The parking has been pathetic down there with the surfers, construction workers and hotel; its by far the worse I've ever seen.

The Volcano is going off on the Big Island so much that they even had to shut down some of the park there and have been getting several little earthquakes on the Big Island. The pictures they have been showing on the TV of the Lava are beautiful.

E40 came to the Blaisedell Arena and got hypy this month. Local MCs (rappers); The Direct Descendents threw a party for there new album called Dirty Aloha. Seasoned artist Big Moxx opened for the crew and it was a great show. They frequent a place called Jazzmines in Honolulu. I checked it out this month and really enjoyed jammin to some local Jazz crews there.

Though women aren't exactly welcome at the Banzai Pipeline, the Pipeline Posse's new clothing line has a really cool range of tee shirts sweats and tank tops for women. I own a couple pieces myself. 3rd Stone Surfboard Factory is opening up a new store at the back of their factory which will feature cool local labels including Us Girls and Sean Davey Photography Prints.

Flynn Novak sponsored by the Pipeline Posse

There is a big hype about a big, long lasting swell coming. Maybe I'm the sacrifice, since I'm leaving the day before it gets here, so sorry all but, I hope it's not big. Don't you hate when you wait and wait for that big one, then it comes the two weeks you're gone, then again sometimes those swells they hype for 3 weeks ahead of time never even get here.

Lane Davey surfing at Ala Mo Bowls recently 

This south shore saga continues...................stay tuned.

July On the Fly 

August 1, 2007

Sean & Lane Davey

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I would say it was probably better than the typical Hawaiian July, but thats not saying much. I left on a two week trip at the beginning of the month stressing hard that I was going to miss out on the best swell of the summer. It did get pretty good a couple of days, I heard, really nice clean perfect down, but as usual it was not the Hawaiian 6 foot surf predictions they had been hyping for nearly three weeks. 

And, being that this summer has hardly had any sizable swells, it was up there with anything weve had yet, but hopefully not the best swell of summer, now that would be a bummer. Solid 2-4 ft town for a week straight in July is pretty good. Since then, there hasnt been much else though; little 1-2 very occ 3 ft days without much punch.

Northshore surprised us a bit this month though. There have been some days well above flat and even the typical summer dribble that is barely ridable. There have been a few fun little days at Lanis with occ 3 ft mushburgers

and we even got a fun little 1-3 ft west and east swell mix that lasted a few days. Some were estatic about the little country swells but most of us were just happy to have something to ride without having to drive to town.

When there werent any waves in the country some Northshore residents had incredible experiences with the Dolphins who came in droves this month and swam with the humans. 

Sharks were  also lurking once again in July as a snorkeler was attacked at Bellows Beach which resulted in serious leg injuries.

Several contests carried on through the month. The Christian surfers event was held at Queens in tiny surf. Three Longboard events were held during this months summer slumber. The Steinlager Longboard event and China womens events at Queens were held in pretty good size surf at the beginning of the month while Steinlager event #4 at bowls was pretty puny.

Next years Northshore contest season is heating up already as promoters pry for permits. Reid Ignoye was not issued a permit for his WQS Monster pro which is our locals main event and qualifying event for the Pipemasters, meanwhile the Bodysurfing event is back on this season along with the Backdoor shootout and the Rockstar Bodyboarding Event. 

The women are not on the schedule this year either after a three year run of a historic event. It will be interesting to see what contest directors will do to get their events run this season. I can feel the tension rising already.

Hawaii is still getting it's fair share of media exposure. On fuel TV there is a new show called 808 which is featuring the Wolf Pack, and Hawaii lifeguards are also getting props on Court TV in a reality show called Beach Patrol. 

Keala Kennely is sending a shockwave through the surfing community with her acting skills on HBO's John from Cincinnati. Personally, I think her character is more believable than anyone else on the series which is a bit confusing and does not necessarily portray surfers in positive light, but Im still watching anyways.

Jazz Minds is my new favorite nightspot in Honolulu. They have a full venue of different Jazz musicians all week long, local crowd, nice atmosphere and the best thing of course, no TOP 40! Authentic Hawaiian artists are on the venue. Tempo Valley  plays on Saturdays which is a cool band mixing Jazz, Reggae and Hip Hop. Their live instrumental includes a DJ, drums, guitar, even Chello (or something that looks like that ) Even Hawaii's rap group, Direct Decsendants show up from time to time. Anyways, check it out if you get a chance.

Maui local Surfer and artist Ron Cassidy died this month while surfing in Mexico where he was believed to have wiped out and instantly broken his neck. His body was found out to sea. Sounds like he was a genuine guy who will be well missed.

The Brazilian  food joint by the Maui totem statue and all the vendors booths have been shut down. Dont really know whats going on there but we will see if they can get up and running again for winter. They are still fixing the road at the Bay. One of the workers fell from the cliff and experienced serious injuries this month. 

Some strange rumors have been coming up about the Oak Tree Project, but we will have to wait and see what happens.

The Haleiwa Arts Festival was held this month and was a nice exhibit of local talent as usual with some great food vendors as well. The annual Surf Auction was a big hit as usual. When I was there, a Dick Brewer board sold for $33,000. I couldn't help to wonder if the shaper himself would receive any of the proceeds or how many times the board had changed hands before it made it to the auction in 2007. 

Other such notables as Gerry Lopez, Greg Knol, Rory Russel, Terry Fitzgerald, Mark Richards and Ben Aipa attended along with film maker Jack McCoy. A great place to learn some surf history and to say Hi to all your friends you havent seen in a while because there hasnt been surf.

by: Lane Davey

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Beyond Blues 

September 1, 2007

Sean & Lane Davey

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In a month filled with extraordinary weather conditions, unfortunately none of them included surf. We did see some guys tow surfing on the news when reporters from all over the country came to observe the wrath of hurricane Flossy which had developed into a category 4, but dissipated before reaching the island chain. Oahu just got a little rain and strong east trades and a little surf at east and SE facing locations. South shores were tiny, not even 3 feet.

Beach Foam

When even the oldest old timers however, are saying this is the worst summer they can ever remember you know that it's pretty bad. With a winter that produced its biggest swell in April and a summer that is almost non existent, it leaves most of us wondering what the heck it going on. If we are getting a lack of surf; is somewhere else given an abundance and when will things get back to normal here in Hawaii, if ever?

Courie Shell

We literally had two swells all month, one was 1-2 ft and the other was 1-3 in town, country was barely a dribble, and the east side actually got a sneaker swell which was actually pretty decent in the 4 ft range if with decent along with the hurricane swell which would have had strong onshore winds.

Sailing Out at Ala Moana

Surf contestants scored this month, with the gromfest capturing the only 2 ft swell at Ala Moana Bowls in weeks and the Duke Fest being held with the best surf all month. There was a legends team competition and Roxy Pro Longboard event for the girls with all kinds of categories including tandem and even stand up surf, won by Bonga Perkins. 

Dukes

The festival is like the end of summer beach bash; the place is packed with people you know or have heard about at some point in time. Even local celebrities such as weatherman Guy Hagi competed with legends like Ben Aipa or Rabbit Kekai. When I say the best surf all month, it was still only 1-2 with occasional 3 ft sets, but none of us were complaining, matter of fact it was nice just to remember what a wave looks like.

Longboard Duke


Hawaii SuperFerry

There were a couple of good gigs to check out in town this month amidst our surfing blues. Common played with his DJ and live band put on by a hip store in Ward center called Dig Lifestyles. It was an incredible show at Pipeline cafe. Hawaii emcees threw down at the Lotus Bar in Waikiki with Audible Lab Rats, and Hunger Pains including Creed Camelion, Rise Up, Seth One and a few others. Check these guys out if you ever get the chance. Gwen Stefani played at the Blaisdell and Wu Tang Clan will be here at the beginning of the month,

Waikiki

A man claims to have contracted flesh eating disease on Kauai from reef cuts, gross, really makes you wonder what the heck is causing that. Pioneering female surfer Jeannie Chesser has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and started heavy radiation therapy on July 30th. She is still paddling out to Bowls early mornings and is an incredible inspiration to us all. Her spirit reminds us of the true meaning of what it is to be a surfer. A fundraiser will be held for her at Hard Rock Cafe on Thursday September 20th and 100% of proceeds will go to help Jeannie. Those who cant make it to the party can donate to: Da Friends of Jeannie Chesser: First Hawaiian Bank, 1348 Hunakai St.Honolulu, HI 96816

Jeanie Chesser

While temperatures were cooler than normal most of August, brush fires turned up the heat in Waialua on the Northshore covering 7000 acres of land. A statewide fire emergency was called as the fire smoldered for 5 days causing some evacuations and school closures. While no homes or lives were lost, its impact on the Northshore's agricultural community and environment has been disastrous, farmers are still calculating the damages. Pahoa residents on the Big Island are certainly feeling the heat as a new flow of Lava forming to the north from Kilauea is now visible from nearby communities. It is close enough to have startled several phone calls into civil defense to see if some might need to evacuate, however at this time they say there is no immediate threat. If that wasn't enough the Big Island was shook by a 5.3 earthquake which scared residents and tourists, but there was no serious damage. All of the islands were put on a tsunani watch from 2 other large earthquakes this month; one from Peru and the other S. America.

Haleiwa Sunset

Garrett McNamara and Kealii Mamala escaped the heat and the small surf this month by attempting to tow surf collapsing glaciers in Alaska. Inside Edition reported on the stunt, mentioning that they waited anywhere from 5 minutes to 12 hours for these glaciers to produce waves which were more difficult than expected to ride. 

Garrett and Kealii

I don't know if I am more perplexed by the idea itself or that they actually went through with it. Really, it just makes me laugh because I wouldn't put anything past these surfing Einsteins. On the other, it is a testament to Hawaii's lack of surf this year. Pray For Surf!

by Lane Davey

Perry Dane Shaka Bra

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On Your Marks, Get Set, WAIT! 

October 2, 2007

Sean & Lane Davey

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After weeks of nothing, a swell in the very beginning of the month reminded us just how good town can get. Though we didn't get the expected 6 footers they were predicting, we did get per-fect Ala Moana Bowls from the middle which had some 4 foot waves that just spun down the reef so perfectly; it reminded me why I really don't need to go anywhere else. That swell lasted a few days and then some allowing surfers to feed their hungry souls. 

Then once again another swell predicted to be in the high surf advisory range for south shores had surfers in a stitch since rumors had surfaced that surf breaks would be closed due to a performance by the Thunderbirds. Turned out that surfers who were inside the one mile mark were okay so those who werent scared away scored. 

The 2-3 ft rising swell coincided right with the performance which went down directly above us. It was about as up close and personal as you could get to the fighter planes which had 3 shows that week and the swell managed to produce 2-4 ft with one freak 6 ft set one evening.

Right after that the Northshore got some windy waves and then some perfectly clean little north swells at Lanis that seemed to appeal to the whole island. Stand up paddle surfers, super long longboarders and a few stubborn shortboarders duked it out that week. Shortly after the news and all surf reports claimed the first swell of the season would hit the Northshore and nothing came except a lot of people at daybreak. Then there was another swell which was a little  bigger and then finally we got a little swell that graced us with glassy conditions and some solid 4 ft waves. The Billabong Jr Pro scored that swell at Sunset Point which was catching the NW swell better than anywhere else. After that another 2-3 ft swell came with gusty wind.

A lot of guys have been holding it down at Goats in between flat spells, but I can't imagine with the strong winds that it has been much good.

Though weve had some waves this month which would be of high standard by most surfers around the globe, we certainly do not have that feeling that winter is here or summer is over, but more that we are just getting our gills wet and waiting to hear that rumble we all know so well, it means swell.

Da friends of Jeannie Chesser who has Merkel Cel cancer put on a fundraiser which brought surfers from all over the islands including a video of pros who couldn't make it. It included a si-lent auction, Djs, a cool band with kids who surf Ala Moana and several surfing celebrities. Word has it, the event was sucessful but you can also donate to:

Da Friends of Jeannie Chesser:
First Hawaiian Bank, 1348 Hunakai St.
Honolulu, HI 96816

We still see Jeannie paddling out to the line up everyday and ripping despite her treat-ments. At the fundraiser they were issuing a sticker in her name which appropriately states "Keep Surfing."

Another fundraiser will be held next month October 20th, at Paradise Park from 4:30-6:30.

Jamie O' Brien had a serious injury from an eel which bit his hand while diving for shells, but he should be back in the water soon.

Banzai Betty Depolito has a new show on the Ocean channel called Wahine Blue which features women's watersports. It is on Thursday's and Sundays.

Local surfer Kirk Fritz turned me on to a cool new little video/photo camera for watersports.It is a tiny little 3 megapixel camera in a waterhousing that is sold with a wrist band so you can use it while surfing. check it out at goprocamera.com. Here is a photo he took of me with the tiny camera at Ala Moana Bowls.

Violent protests continue to thrive against the Superferry especially on Kauai. The ferry was finally released to go back to Kauai, but the voyage was cancelled once again after Lingle gave a speech on the Garden Isle to share its benefits. She was constantly booed and heckled throughout the speech by protesters who seemed to be the majority. Surfrider has been advocating some of the protests and Surfers are backing them because they never produced an environmental statement. 

A 5 point solution process to help the Northshore's houseless was release in this months Northshore Newspaper.(1)Immediate Safe Zone, (2)Emergency Shelter, (3)Transitional Shelter, (4)Healthy Hawaiian Community and (5)Affordable Housing are the five points that were laid out and discussed by the community board. Ron Valenciana who opened his once a month church 3 years ago to serve their needs is leading the campaign with the assistance of Carol Philips and others. Its great to see people getting active.

Hawaiian musician and minister; Butch Helemano, is teaching a Hawaiian language and culture class here on the Northshore Wednesday nights from 6:30-8:00. It's amazing; the first night I learned the meaning behind words we use all the time like kama'aina, haole, and have a whole new understanding for the word aloha.

SambaDa, an afro funk band will be holding a concert on the Northshore at Waimea Falls Park at the end of the month with a few guests. Reef is sponsoring the first leg of the Triple Crown this month at Haleiwa Beach Park. The Hawaiian Tropic Pagent is underway at Turtle Bay. The 4th annual Girlfest gallery is open from Sept 7- Oct 6 and the  actual event runs from Nov 9-18. President Bush came through the islands on his way to Australia this month meanwhile Hawaiian raised Barrack Obama who is running for Presidency in 2008 has been getting some promo from local media in Hawaii.

Finally, the best news is that the number of stand up paddle surfers aka "stand up comedians" have decreased immensely since the waves came up a little bit which is giving us regular guys a little bit of hope that we might make it through the winter without getting our heads chopped off by this new, old? idea of surfing.

November 1, 2007

Sean & Lane Davey

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The first two weeks of October was so lagging, no surf on north or south shores; it seemed like dejavue from last year. Then I read on Pat Caldwells surf report that this would be a La Nina season which means smaller than average surf and slim chance of giant surf episodes.

I was thinking, isnt that what we had last year and even the year before? I sure hope Caldwell is wrong on this one, but this month has definitely been lacking. Fortunately, nobody is complaining about the couple weeks we had of 3-4 ft waves late in the month. The swells have been sort of windy, choppy and NNW. One of the biggest swells turned more straight north and was rumored to have had some freak 6- 8 foot sets at Lanis and Rockpiles, but that only lasted for a few hours.

Beaches on Maui were closed oct 21 due to shark sightings. On the Northshore Monk seals have been sunbathing at backdoor and other famous surf locations. Pro surfer sightings seem to be in earlier than usual. It seems too soon to have the unknown rippas at our local spots in their shiny new clothes before the waves have even really started, but then again the Xcel Pro is already underway 10/27, so I guess its about that time. 

There are some more moderate swells forecasted for next week and some town surf which is really promising. For me it seems like you have to have that last town whopper swell before the country can really get going, its like a sort of a pattern that sets up.

A few of the Hawaii guys are headed off to Tahiti to catch the south swell. Flynn Novak and a few other Hawaiian guys just came back from a 6 star event in the Canary Islands where they placed pretty well I also heard about a barrel riding contest in the Phillipines that a few of the boys went to. 

Still no word if our local guys will get there Pipe event this year, but some are just as happy to have less contests this season freeing the break up more since last year was so overloaded especially with the lack of surf.

Pancho Sullivan placed 2nd at the U.S Open so requlaifying for the tour next year is looking good for him.

Founder of Save our Surf Hawaii, John Kelly passed away and will have a memorial service held on Nov.18th. George Downing is taking over his position with the organization.

Local Surfer and Activist, Tony Agao held a lovely fundraiser for Jeannie Chesser at TreeTops restaurant up Manoa with local bands, some who actually surf the Bowl with Jeannie. Some killer boards were donated and auctioned off. The whole T&C family was there along with Jones family, Keoni Downing and many others.

The Menehune contest was held at Haleiwa this month. The kids had some pretty decent waves for the event considering the current averages, but the surf was still smaller than usual.

The Volcom boys are totally pimpin this season now that they have two houses instead of one and the new one which was newly renovated seems to be the pick of choice since the noise has shifted from one side of the path to the other.

I think what we are all really thinking is BRING THE NOISE while we wait to hear the waves echo through the sand again and get this surf season underway.

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Lane Davey

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Riding the Storm 

December 1, 2007

Sean & Lane Davey

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The Contest Season is in full effect here on the North shore. The Reef Hawaiian Pro finished up with two solid days of 10- 12 foot+  surf which had some maxing sets connecting all the way from Haleiwa to Avalanche. Conditions were far from perfect which made the huge surf even more challenging. Broken leashes and boards were often a factor in heat results.

Local surfer Sean Moody made it to the final with an incredible backside attack. I remember him disappearing at the bottom of 12 ft wave and then coming all the way back up to the top and snapping it. Kauai boy Roy Powers sewed up the title with two killer tube rides scoring in the nines while Moody, second place Bede Durbidge and 3rd place Joel Parkinson spent a lot of time caught inside the closeouts just trying to get back out. Roys win requalifyed him back on next years WCT.

Sean Moody


Roy Powers


TJ Barron

The swell at Haleiwa marked our first real waves of the season and after such a long dry spell we suddenly had some momentum going into Sunset. The Roxy Pro actually had some of the best conditions with 4-6 ft + surf and the girls were charging. Sophia Mulanowhich won the final with Australian Amee Donahoe in second. After that some stormy conditions came with huge surf which was actually too big for Sunset but they contest ran anyways. In quite possibly some of the most out of control conditions ever held at Sunset, a well deserving Makua Rothman won the Oneil World Cup in a sort of last man standing type victory. He somehow found a barrel in the last 2 minutes of the 35 minute heat edging him ahead of  Brazilian Leonardo Neves and world champion Mick Fanning.

Makua Rothman


Makua Rothman

In between half days of competition at Sunset the island of Oahu experienced up to 70mph SW-W wind which knocked down several power lines and left most of the northshore out of electricity for two days not to mention road closures  in both directions. We checked the surf one of the stormy nights and it was the windest big northshore surf I have ever seen with huge waves breaking all over the place, I felt like I was somewhere else all together. 

Outside of the contests scence surfers were stoaked to be finally getting waves even if it was inbetween storms. There were a couple days at the Bay producing 15 ft waves and Pipe got a couple real deal days with the whole world in the line up. The East Side had some good days with the Kona winds and the southwesterlies became so strong that they actually whipped up some unridable 10 feet surf on the south shore. There were a couple other little town swells which were fun as well. The west side had a couple days of good waves when we got a little bit of north wind and even the little sandbar at Ehukai got going a little bit for the kids. December was nothing to complain about after waiting so long for waves.

Waimea

On the other hand, this years Billabong Pipemasters has to be the worst ever. There was not even one decent day of competition and with just one more day left; it looks like they may have to run the final at Gums; yes I think it will be the Gummiemasters. Even the small 2-3 foot waves they did have were ravished by strong whipping trade winds mushing out the waves and a dry sandbar on the left made for short rides; mainly closeouts. The small beach break style surf snuffed out all the Hawaiians in contention for the Triple Crown and most people have left town already. The only good thing about the pathetic Pipemasters is that contestants seemed a lot more lighthearted, laughing and enjoying each others company whereas a typical Pipe line up prior to the event is such that you can't even cut the air.

Pipemasters


Jamie Obrien at Pipemasters

Stephanie Gilmore didn't leave any room for her competition Sophia Mulanowhich and Silvana Lima when she won the Billabong Pro on Maui and captured the World Title. Not bad for her first year on the tour. Veteran surfer Megan Abubo made a heroic Triple Crown win. She was taken away in an ambulance after her semifinal heat at Sunset with severely strained stomach ligaments, but persevered through a few painful rounds in Maui to edge out Layne Beachly.

The ASP Ball marked a historic moment in surfing this year being the 25th Anniversary. They showed a video and honored all the former Triple Crown Champions. Director Randy Rarrick, Bernie Baker and Faith Wenzel were also given awards for their commitment for Professional Surfing. It was a classy event where the surfers and industry all seemed to be all enjoying some time to have a little fun. 

Randy Rarick at the VANS VIP Party


Rabbit and Rory Russel at the VANS VIP Party


Billabong's Jim Kempton with Flynn Novak at the VANS VIP Party


Ammion and Daisey Goodwin at the VANS VIP Party


Jarrod House and Sean Moody at the VANS VIP Party


Dick Brewer and Jack McCoy at the VANS VIP Party


Derek Hynd, Chris Angel and Rick Irons at the VANS VIP Party


VANS VIP Party

The Quicksliver Eddie Aikau Ceremony was like many other events this year, a sort of passing of the baton; surfers such as Jamie O Brien, Makua Rothman, Marc Healy and Jamie Sterling  are all slated solid in the invitee list meanwhile Dustin Barca and Koby Abberton are alternates. These 20 somethings of course mix well with legends like Clyde Aikau, Titus Kinimaka, Michael & Derek Ho and former champion Noah Johnson. Japanese Pipe charger Takayuki Wakita was also on the list this year. After the ceremony, Pinballs offered a nice wave for the surfers to share a ride in, and the spirit is always alive in there in memory of such extraordinary waterman.

Titus and friends at the Quicksilver Eddie Aikau Ceremony


Quicksilver Eddie Aikau Ceremony


Quicksilver Eddie Aikau Ceremony


Quicksilver Eddie Aikau Ceremony

Banzai Betty may have lost her permit for the Pipe contest this season, but there were more girls out at 6-8 ft Pipe this year than ever before. 

Betty Depolito with Rory Russel

I heard on a small Waimea day 6 girls were out at one time. XXL champion, Maya Gaberia who recently got towed into huge Teaupoo, was said to have had some killer waves and some astounding wipeouts. Jenny Useldinger was rumored to have been riding waves inbetween 6 other guys who dropped in with her. Former XXL champ Jamilia Star just had a baby, but was already back out charging on the first big swell. Mikaela Prekonize was out at the Bay, but has also been getting some really impressive Backdoor barrells. With such a strong pool of women surfers, its good to see more and more of them coming to the Northshore to challenge themselves as true waterwomen.

Live the Legacy was presented in memory of surfer and activist John Kelly. A short film and panel discussions were given to insure the future of activism in Hawaii. Randy Rarrick received the John Kelly Lifetime Environmental Achievement Award  at O Lounge Dec 13th where a few other green awards were also honored. 

Common Ground Hawaii is a new organization formed by local Ala Moana surfer Melissa Ling Ling to protect our most prestigious south shore surf spots from privatization and otherwise. You can contact her at commongroundhawaii@yahoo.com. There have been 2 protests this month and there will be a hearing on December 19th from 6-8 at Jefferson School Cafeteria. Please come and show some support for our public access at Ala Moana surf spots including 3s, Kaisers, Rockpiles and Bowls.

The Lifeguards held their annual party on Dec 14,2007 at Waimea with Donavon, the Opihi pickers and others. A benefit auction was held for Jeanie Chesser who is suffering from Merkel cel cancer. The party sold out and was jam packed with surfers all celebrating our lifeguards along with Occys retirement from Professional Surfing.

Donavon


Aamion Goodwin with Jeanie Chesser

There will be another benefit auction held for Jeannie next weekend at Waimea. Rumor has it that the Monster Pro has a chance to share with someone elses permit, however I dont know any specifics yet. The Backdoor shootout has a waiting period from Jan 2-13 and the Bodysurfing Classic starts Jan 27, so lots of action on tap for the new year. Sure is a shaky surf season, you just dont know what will happen next. Most of the pro circus left early once they could see that the waves and weather were not going to improve so locals are looking forward to having a little less crowds for the Christmas break and hopefully a few waves

Meke Kalikimaka!!!!

by Lane Davey

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Kieren Perrow - Off the Wall

It's kind of funny in a way, all these professional surfers are here to surf the big waves and it has been on average about 1-3 feet all month. You have to laugh. What wasn't really funny was one morning when I called the buoys which had issued a tsunami watch from a 8.1 earthquake off Japan. Though the watch was cancelled officials cleared the beaches with their loudspeakers telling surfers to stay out of the water for a couple hours and sure enough a 5-6 foot tsunami surge rolled through several places around the islands including the Haleiwa boat harbor which I heard was quite a site to see. Just to add to the strange natural disturbances we had yet another 5.0 earthquake off the Big Island near the end of the month. On a more positive note, the weather has been beautiful and the air temperature quite warm for this time of year.

Jun Jo - Rocky Point

The beginning and end of the month had the most surf, funny thing is that both started and ended with a contest at Sunset Beach, the XCEL pro and the O'neil World Cup. In between that we had the Op Pro at Ali'i which was lucky to have even been held at all. There were actually some beautiful waves at Lanis screaming all the way across through most the waiting period, but those north swells don't get into Haleiwa much at all. Evan Valiere took the No Fear XCEL Pro and Andy Irons the Op. Sophia Mulanovich won the first leg of the Triple Crown events for the women.

Mikala Jones - Kodak Reef

Speaking of contests, hoooooo, the traffic is getting nuts; more and more spectators for the Triple Crown events than ever. I can't imagine what it will be like when they build 4000 units from Kawela Bay to Kahuku Point. That's right folks, it looks like the Turtle Bay Project is officially cleared to go ahead.

Kawela and Turtle Bays - North Shore

The Hui had their annual Beach Clean Up which is really great for the community and a sort of uniting of surfers worldwide to do something good and give back. A pretty nasty shark attack happened on Maui this month, but the victim survived. The Haleiwa Community Center has been putting on some events as fundraisers at the Haleiwa Gym. Namely, Augie T performed with several other local comedians on one occasion and professional surfers signed autographs at a surf film on another. Sean Davey had a photography exhibit at the Canon gallery all month in Honolulu and made a trip to Brazil for another photo exhibit which presented a lot of his work.

At the Mostra Art Festival Sao Paulo, Brasil - Nov 2006

Well, the competitive season is definitely here; so many people everywhere with extremely crowded surf breaks. It's so strange when the tour comes to town because it seems like everyone arrives on the same day.

Tom Current - Backdoor

Kodak Reef

One day you know everyone in the line up and the next day you don't recognize anyone, much less understand all the accents which range from Australian to South African with some echoing in the background of Japanese and Portuguese. We were all extremely thankful on Thanksgiving Day to finally get a west swell in with a few 6 foot waves. Oh the joy!

Lane Davey - Pipeline

Hawaii's surf report guru Pat Caldwell suggests that a "seasonably normal jet stream track" is setting up for next week which should hold. Everyone in the world is waiting, that's for sure. 

by Lane Davey

The Green Flash at Pipeline, North Shore

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Vicious Cycle 

February 1, 2008

Sean & Lane Davey

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Wow, what an emotional roller coaster. We seem to be in a vicious surf cycle here in Hawaii that just wont end. We get a  long lack of swell, then we get swell with onshore wind, then we might get a day or two then back to the strong trades and the small surf again. Nowhere suffers worse than Pipeline with a cycle like this since the sand keeps piling up and then gets dispersed into the wrong place time and time again. 

The Backdoor Shootout managed to slip in between this cycle and score some of the best Pipe we have seen in the last couple years. On Jan 8th after 3 weeks of very small surf, the weather cleaned up and we got a bump from the west. The next morning was predicted to be 6 ft faces by the National Weather Service, but instead was solid 6-10 ft Hawaiian scale waves.

The best way to describe the waves that morning is with the visual of this one body boarder who dropped down a 10 footer, got ejected about 6 ft in the air mid face and on his way down with the lip it reminded me why we used to call them "boogies"  As the day went on however, the WNW swell quickly pounded out that sand and we saw some incredible surfing. There were some 12 ft screamers from the second reef, but they were big, thick and chunky, leaving no room for mistakes which is why guys like Nathan Fletcher, Jamie Obrien and Bruce Irons were able to deliver some of the top scores. 

Young Tyler Newton became the rookie of the contest that day by catching one of the biggest waves and setting himself up perfectly under the lip into what just may have been the barrel of the year, unfortunately however he caught this wave after the horn and didnt get scored on it. 

Newton had come into the competition from Kauai for Quicksilver to replace Fred Pattachia who was having his tonsils out. By the end of the day, the waves were getting too big and washing through. The next day was too big for Pipe, but some some guys were getting some pretty decent rides  at Waimea, by this years standards at least.

The morning after that started out with a prayer for Joaquin Velilla; the Puerto Rican Pipe Charger who passed away last year. 

Immediately after the prayer Joaquin ordered up a rainbow and some more 10 ft waves for the boys in the backdoor shootout. 

At first it seemed to lack luster compared to the first day, but then the backdoor started going off and Bruce moved into the lead. 

Finally, the 3rd day had dropped into the 6 ft range but still had epic morning conditions and Jamie O Brien was able to find enough points to win the event.

Mark Healy, Reef McIntosh, Tyler Newton and Danny Fuller won the team competition for Quicksilver and all the boys were stoked; 

well except the ones that weren't in the contest because right after the event ended, the onshore winds were back. Though the shootout had to wait four solid years to run, that contest will definitely go down in history as one of the best contest days held at Pipe. 

The next day we found ourselves spiraling back into that viscious cycle. We had a 20 ft swell which was probably bigger than anything we had in 2 years, but it was victory at sea and noone was out. The strong straight onshore NE winds and a reinforcing NE swell made the northshore pretty much unridable for a few days and when things finally began to turn around that sand was back at Pipe, but this time it had formed a huge dry bar which started at the peak of Pipeline and went all the way to the lifeguard tower at Ehukai. In fact, when the swell first started dribbling in there was not a left in sight and it looked more like a right point break somewhere else in the world. By daybreak the next day 6-10 footers were cracking on the left, but the bar was causing waves to cross up with each other making for some impossible take offs, not to mention the fact that you could be surfing a wave and then be on dry sand in a second, a sensation which would equate to something like dropping off a cliff straight into a washing machine. 

I would say there were a lot more wipeouts that morning than tube rides, but by the afternoon things really came together for about two hours. The sandbar began to move inside the break and down towards Ehukai, the swell serged in a couple 12 ft sets and a half dozen perfect waves came in. Healy, Kala, Reef, Sterling & Wakita were some of the guys who managed to be there in that perfect moment to score some of the best rides and at the end of the day thats all anyone really remembers is those perfect waves, not how hard or how dangerous it was to get them.

Pipe Legend Liam McNamara wasn't there that day, because he was down the way at Sunset directing the No Fear Kostal Kaos Jr Pro which was like passing the torch to a new generation of chargers. The 10 ft waves looked even bigger than normal with the "lil shorties" charging down the face. 

Another magical moment this month that might go down in history for the youth of surfing. I never thought I would see a juniors event held at 10 ft Sunset. Kiron Jabour won the contest that day, but I think all the kids must have felt like winners! 

Even town got an off season swell during that time that 3 day period and was almost as good as anything we had all summer. 5 foot sets were breaking at the Big Bowl for 2 full days with nearly perfect conditions. Sandy's was also rumored to have enjoyed some of the NE energy and got some 10 ft waves one day. Some people are questioning; if we are getting some of our best south swells in January, is it possible that the country might be going off mid July?

Well that didn't last long, by 9:30am the next day those 12 ft waves at Pipe had shrunk back to being barely 6 ft and the south shore was small too. Three more NW swells were expected to follow with one additional out of season south, but as the those trade winds got stronger and stronger we were all beginning to realize that we were back in the cycle again. Sure enough the next swell and the swell after that and the south swell were downgraded and came with poor conditions. Expectedly, another lull in the swell production came all the way until the end of the month.

Besides the bad surf, I have to mention that it is also rainier, cloudier, colder and crowed as ever. With the Backdoor Shootout taking the spot which is typically set for the Bodyboarding contest, and the bodysurfing event coming up with the WQS at Pipe next month, we have everyone in the world here at one time, literally. The best bodyboarders, shortboarders, bodysurfers and the regulars. Early surfs before contests and on the best days have been so crowed that it seems like you can't even find a place to put your arm down to paddle for  a wave. 

I guess when there are only about 6 good days all month and 3 of the days were taken by contests each at Sunset and Pipeline you expect it to be crowded, but the problem is that these crowds arent going away until all the events are over at the end of next month which is really usually when the season ends for big waves. Its pretty frustrating over here right now for everyone. 

Dave Wassel and Jamie Stearling escaped and reportedly surfed pretty well in the Mavericks contest. Guys like Flynn Novak and Pancho Sullivan sought out some secret spots.  

You'll also hear from time to time about sessions at Mokuleia and West side which are kinda protected from the wind. Sometimes, I guess you have to get creative.

Surf reporters have been way off this season. Its funny when the National Weather Service and the Surf News Network are both saying 6 ft and one is suppose to be face and the other Hawaiian scale, but neither end up being right. To top it all off however, we have now lost our only reliable source which is Buoy #1 and it is not expected to be functioning again until March when we really dont need it that much anymore. Surfers who keep showing up with the wrong size boards are now getting some clarity on how many actually fit in their car. My beetle can hold 4. Others have been trying to get some clarity with the Waimea Buoy, but the location of that buoy is so different that we usually just get more confused and frustrated than we were with no buoy.

On Jan 25th surfers will come together for an ongoing protest against privatized parking at Ala Moana Bowls, Kaisers, Threes and all the surrounding areas. Word has it that the privatization proposal suggests a parking attendant rather than the metered parking we had previously assumed. The hearing will be held at the Kalanimoku building 1st floor room 132 at 9am and anyone is welcome to come and testify. You can also send written testimony to http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/chair/meetingThe threat to Public Beach Access is starting to become a real issue in Hawaii and the Surfrider Oahu Chapter will be holding a statewide public access protest on February 2nd from 10am-12noon at several locations involving quite a few different organizations. You can go to their website: www.surfrider.org/oahu for updates and information.

Governor Linda Lingle surprised the Northshore Community on Jan 22 when she proposed that the state of Hawaii buy Turtle Bay hotel to preserve the land and as we say out here "Keep the Country; Country" The Hotel is currently in a  multi- million dollar foreclosure lawsuit with Credit Suisse so it will be interesting to see what happens in the whole situation. Its good to consider that our voices have been heard.

One thing I observed this month is that the whales must come here to watch us surf. They have been pretty absent all season, but whenever the waves get good there they are jumping and splashing and carry on out back as if they were clapping for us. 

Their excitement is almost a reflection of us because they seem as happy as we are about the waves. Maybe they know, its the surfers who are fighting for them!

Keep the faith

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Hawaii Notes Feb 2008 

March 6, 2008

Sean & Lane Davey

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Finally...............

In February, we got our waves. The month started out looking like the rest of the year with cold windy weather and flat surf. The Monster Pro and Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic was held in such small surf it seemed like there was a contest as to which Pipe contest was the worst in surfing history, the recent WQS was held from Jan 27- Feb 6 or the former Pipemasters WCT event which was held late mid December. I think the Monster was a little better, but not by much and still ended up holding the finals with Off the Wall as an option. It seems pretty ironic that a big power surfer like Pancho Sullivan would win in small surf, but it was certainly a victory for him and a good way to start off the season. 

Mike Stewart claimed his 11th victory in the bodysurfing classic which was also held in about 1-3 ft surf.

The very next day however after the contest, we got one of our best swells all year and Pipe was breaking in the solid 10-12 ft range. After that we experienced almost 2 weeks of big Pipe which had periods of total perfection.

It would surge in at moments much bigger than surf reports predicted and catch everyone off guard, but in a good way. It would be 2nd reef and then epic first reef and then there were even just a couple fun small days too in the 3-5 ft range.

In a 3 day span however, people started dropping off like flies. At the dead low tide one day Jason Shibata and Fred Patachia got hurt on the same set or even the same wave. Jason cut his face on the reef, and I still dont really know what happened to Fred, but he couldnt move his leg and had to be carried up the beach. Mark Healy broke his ankle and fractured his knee cap and will be in a wheelchair for a month. Dino Miranda and Wade Tokoro hit the reef pretty good, but are both back in the water already. 

Liam and Wakita got hurt, but I dont think it was too bad. A couple younger guys had head injuries, someone else nearly ripped his hand off and sadly, Im sure I'm still leaving a few more out. It was the most injuries Ive ever seen in a day or a week at Pipe.  

On the 17th it was no secret that there would be a bodyboarding contest since the buggers have been here since January waiting for their event, but I have never surfed with so many bodyboarders as this year.

Ben Player clarified that their were 178 entrants into the contest and they could only accept 128 so I guess 50 guys didn't even get to compete. They actually scored some nice waves and perfect conditions for their event.  Though they can be a real pain to surfers sometimes, I always give them props since they are core and are in it for the soul of the sport. None of them get paid much and most of them don't get paid anything. God must like them too since they always seem to get good waves during their event. They had 2 days in the 6-8 ft range and one day inbetween that was about 2-4 occ 5 for the women. Aoi Koike from Japan won the womens and Paulo Barcellos from Brazil took the mens with Hawaii's Jeff Hubbard in 2nd place.

There was one day which was 12-15 ft at Waimea with really great conditions, but still not big enough for the Northshore Tow In Event or Eddie Aikau. The real action seemed to be going down at Phantoms where all the boys were pulling into some big pits.

After that the waves kept coming and even town had a swell with some sets in the 5 ft range with clean conditions. It looks like we will have some solid surf well into early March so at least, maybe the spring will make up for most of winter without the crowds.

A classy benefit was held at Waimea Bay for Defend Oahu Coalition and surfer Jeannie Chesser. The lifeguard association donated $4000 to Jeannie from their charity event earlier in the year. A lot of really cool boards were auctioned off from a Kelly Slater pro model to rock star Eddie Veders board to a longboard shape by Robin Johnsons  with limted edition Primo Beer Fabric. Local vendors also set up shop for the cause. I set up a rack for my company Us Girls, and was accompanied by other local bikini designers Honey Girl Clothing and Pualani Swimwear. Billabong and others were there including Jeannie Chesser with her own line of jewelry and beautiful airbrushed paintings. Red Bull, Primo and local food vendors also donated proceeds; along with several others who gave other items up for auction. It was a great effort put forth from the community.

During the week between a big protest against privatized parking at Ala Moana bowls and a statewide beach access protest lead by Surfrider Foundation the Northshore lost more than half of their roadside parking and therefore; beach access.    It seemed pretty obvious that the state had come overnight and installed No parking signs about every 20-50 from V-Land to Pipeline taking most of our regular roadside parking which is the only parking in most places on the Northshore. 

Rocky Point was left with no parking spots at all and besides the inconvienience, it looks terrible. The signs are posted on extensions to make them higher and there are more of them that I think I have ever seen anywhere in one spot.  People outside of the Northshore keep being told that the signs are coming down and noone is getting ticketed, but it seems like I see people getting ticketed everyday and when vigilantes go and knock a few signs down, the state does not hesitate to post them right back up. hmmm. 

I guess the whole thing started with homeowners complaining about parked cars which were obstructing their view from entering Kamehameha Highway who now in exchange have people parking on their lawns and driveways because they can't park on the side road anymore. On the positive side however, Governor Linda Lingle seems to be moving forward to purchase Turtle Bay and will be holding a public talk with the community next week. 

Speaking of politics; Punahoe graduate Barack Obama is currently leading in his campaign against senator Hilary Clinton. Hawaii's democratic caucus not only voted him in by a landslide, but was said to have had the highest turnout since statehood. 

At this point we all have high hopes for a good spring on the Northshore for the surf and for saving our surf. 

We had a moon eclipse this month, which was kinda cool, but even better was surfing Pipeline underneath that big full moon the next morning with a pink sky and perfect waves. Hawaii proves to us this February that no matter how bad the season, we will always get a few perfect days.

aloha

Lane Davey

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Living the Dream 

April 1, 2008

Sean & Lane Davey

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The worst ever Northshore winter turned into an epic Spring. It was like that day after day and just when you thought it was going flat it would just pulse again and again and again. Most days were in the 3-5 ft range, but there were certainly a few 6 and 8 foot sets coming in here and there. One day even made it into the 12 ft range.

After the worst summer and winter on record, Hawaii surfers were making the most of it and I don't think any of us ever appreciated the waves like we did these last couple months especially when we got it all to ourselves, no contests, no pros, just the regulars. Pipe was perfection and Rockys was a playground. Conditions were just perfect all day long. Glassy, no wind and killer waves coming out of the west. You wait for single days like that, but we had weeks of it. Even the flat days were well received since surfers actually got to the point where we were so tired we needed a break.

In the last week however we finally woke up from the dream, a final swell persisted at Pipe with strong gusty trades, a mix of N in the swell and a bit of backwash which was a far cry from the perfect waves we had been experiencing for so long.

Ironically, before I paddled out that morning I mentioned that we made it through a winter without losing anyone at Pipe, but that same afternoon, Hawaii lost one of its own. Bodyboarder Joshua Nakata got caught inside on a freak set which was much bigger than the 4-6 foot waves which were coming in on average that day. Friends said that they did not see him come up for nearly 15 minutes after the set. I think I heard somwhere that doctors had concluded there was a blow to the head which was the cause of death. Joshua was a 23 years old Millilani man who worked for UPS and lived to surf. Its so terrible to lose someone in the surf, but it is always comforting to know they died doing what they loved. RIP Joshua!

After Joshua's death our marathon of surf came to an abrupt end and we are looking at two solid weeks of small, north swells with breezy trades. It was kinda strange to be surfing and surfing such perfect waves and then suddenly its over, another Northshore season has passed. The lifeguards just missed our great run of surf by about a week and had to run in 1-3 ft Ehukai because of the North swell but they still seemed to be having a great time.

Linda Lingle held a public talk at Kahuku High school to clarify the states proposal to purchase Kawela Bay. It was a huge turnout with tons of moving testimony from people representing all different walks of life. It seems likely that the state will move forward with this project and the community is surely encouraged by the efforts of our government to protect the people and keep the country country.

Speaking of government. local Boy Barack Obama has been struggling with some soundbytes made by his Chicago Christian pastor Jeremiah Wright which have been played over and over on all the news stations as unAmerican. He then however addressed the nation with a speech on race relations which some say will go down in the history books. Despite the controversy, he still leads the race for the democratic nominee to become our next president.

A cool Funk band played at Breakers this month called Family Dinner.

House of Flys is promoting Hawaii's 1st eco-conscious action sports trade show event in conjunction with the Hawaii Big Boys show at the Blaisdell arena. The line up includes special guest Christian Asoi along with skate performances, B-boy performances, bikini contests, car displays, motorcycle exhibits and a lot of action.

Mark Healey is making a fast recovery from his knee fracture. He didn't have to undergo surgery, is out of his wheelchair and healing faster than expected.

Bob Kakeikau's aka "Big Bob" or "Hawaiian Bob" passed away last month. We celebrated his life on March 8 in a big circle outside Pipe. It was a beautiful, incredible ceremony. The waves which had been sizeable for 6 weeks almost nonstop, dropped back into the 2-3 foot range which not only allowed a huge pack to paddle outside Pipe and form a circle, but was just as how Bob would have loved to surf it. Conditions were as good as it gets, it was so glassy you could barely see the waves near glowing Sunset.

Bob was a true ambassador of Aloha; and you could feel his spirit in the crowd that honored him. Bob has been a fixture on the Northshore since as far back as I myself and most people can remember, he was known for bringing people and cultures together and taking the time to talk story. I hope his spirit can live on in all of us.

by Lane Davey

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Something to Ride 

May 1, 2008

Sean & Lane Davey

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Sometimes April can be really good. Last year we had a couple big swells during April and even a 10-12 ridable day at Pipe. This year in April we had lots of waves, but nothing extradordinary on the Northshore. Now if you like Rocky Rights, Poops and Lanis you would have had some fun days, but between the strong trade winds and NE to NNW swells there were rare moments of really great surf, but certainly something to ride almost every day. There were a few days with perfect conditions where even Ehukai got fun. I know a lot of people were checking out Mokuleia which must have been pretty good too. Town got going and there were a couple days that had some solid 5 foot barrells at the Big Bowl and it was no secret, a lot of people showed up for the excitement. 

It's really quite around here, hardly anyone on the Northshore, Its real nice and peaceful. 

It's almost like the old days except for the turtle crowds and tourists who never fail to cause traffic jams by Laniakea which has been made out to be some kind of a  natural zoo for the turtles. It is very strange and has really changed the beach there so it is kinda sad.

The Vog has been a problem for most Hawaii residents this month. I guess you could say Kilauea has been heating up over on the Big Island. It is erupting in two areas which had sulfur dioxide levels elevated to the point where they had to close the park and evacuate people from nearby areas. 

The Vog travels to Oahu with the Kona or variable wind patterns and you can get a variety of irritations from it including; allergies, itchy eyes, lathargy, joint pain, sore throat, migrains and more. In the nearly 20 years I've been in Oahu, I've never been able to see the Vog like I have this month. One day when I was driving back from town, I felt like I was in a crater with something that looked like steam rising in the trees on each side of me, a strong haze amongst a glowing ball of a sun and I could actually taste it on the tip of my tongue.

The Ala Wai Parking problem threatening Bowls, Rockpiles, Kaisers and Threes seems to be getting another chance after the outpouring of support and hearings early this year. They had  one more meeting this month and will have two more in the upcoming month to see if the DLNR and the community can come up with a good plan for the area. It seems that the second meeting will strike right on the same time as one of the better south swells we have seen in a long time.

A lot of the guys are in Tahiti right now for the trials and have put the word out that its coming. Sets were said to be as high as 18 ft at Teaupoo  when they had to stop the contest and let the tow surfers do their thang. Jamie O'Brien who had a broken ear drum was going to sit the contest out, but once he saw the swell, he went straight over and got slotted into the early rounds. Obrien scored some killer waves on the first day along with a swollen eye and a fat lip, but it didnt stop him from joining into the tow session that afternoon nor to claim his victory 2 days later.

Linda Lingle has started a webpage concerning the progress of their purchase to buy Turtle Bay. http://hawaii.gov/gov/turtlebay It is certainly still moving forward. 

Aloha Airlines and ATA arilines went out of business this month within 10 days of each other leaving several spring breakers stuck in paradise. Some had to pay astronomical prices to get home whether it was  tourists going back to the mainland, or Hawaiians coming home. It was a mess! The government stepped in to help out by chartering some extra flights with Hawaiian Airlines for travelers who had time to wait. Aloha's cargo planes stayed in business until April 28th when lawsuits caused them to go down too. The islands are threatened by the fact that Aloha Cargo carries over 80% of Hawaii's imports. Its making residents and businesses in Hawaii nervous to say the least.

The Kokua Festival was held this month and there were several events which accompanied it. Matt Costa played at Next Door and the crowd was wall to wall. 

The line up for Kokua included Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews/ Tim Reynolds, Paula Fuga, Mason Jennings and Go Jimmy Go. The event which focuses on going green and coincides with the celebration of Earth day usually sells out in moments and is really hard to get tickets for. Surfrider had a successful beach cleanup this month on the Ala Wai canal, they are brave because the Ala Wai can really stink on a bad day! wooooo

Renowned big wave surfer Woody Brown died this month. He was 96. RIP

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Surfing Into Summer 

June 2, 2008

Sean & Lane Davey

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We are certainly Surfing Into Summer here at the end of May. The weather has gone from being kinda cold for Hawaii to hot. I always know when it gets hot because my Tasmainian husband joins my dog on the floor next to the AC. We had some really bad vog this month and it is really oppressive giving people asthma, hives, headaches joint pain and even nausea. It comes with the more southerly winds and leaves with the trades, but it is so strong that I think it is actually leaving sort of a film on the ground to keep allergy victims in a bit of a vicious cycle. I have even heard that high number of equestrian accidents have occurred this month and many think that it is the result of the vog registering to the horse as fire. Sometimes you can taste the ash on your tongue.

The month started out hopeful as we watched the guys in Tahiti score a killer tow session right during the trials event for Teahupoo. Garrett, Stearls and Jamie O scored some sick tubes and we got ready for the south shore to throw down. I guess the  majority of the solid SW swell turned and missed us to the east. We still got some fun waves, maybe even a couple 6 footers, but since we had all built it up in our heads that it was gonna be 8 foot and closing out the channel, we were a bit let down. Nobody refrained from joining in on the action however, the biggest days brought, Kekoa Cazimero, Kahea Hart, Buttons and others joined in a session with all the bowls boys Mike Akima, Dewayne, Ronnie Boy, Davey Boy and more. Other than than the waves havent been epic but we have had enough surf to keep us in the water for most of the month so we are not complaining.

Basically it has been a mix of town and country swells that last for a good long time in the 2 ft range with a few bigger days here and there. Country actually even got up to 6 ft on a couple days, but conditions were poor and the swells, disorganized.  I guess one other south swell hit the Big Island head on with some 6 foot waves but kinda missed the rest of us who only got about 4 feet.

The DNLR presented a proposal to the community offering 300 out of the 1000 free parking stall and affordable paid parking at about 25 cents an hour. The proposal atleast offered a compromise for our protest, but still, in my opinion privatization is just a step in the wrong direction for Hawaii residents. Thanks to Melissa Ling-Ing, all the organizations who worked with her, and all the people who came out to testify, we were somewhat victorious in saving the Ala Wai Harbor. 

Jaime O'Brien earned the wildcard for the WCT event at Teahupoo, but was said to have lost to Kelly Slater in 3-5 foot waves due to tactical errors. Jesse Merle Jones won the Koastalkaos Pro in Oceanside. Bonga Perkins made semifinals at the pro longboarding event in Australia. Mark Heally is back in the water after his injury at Pipe a few months ago and Fred Pittachia is also back in contests getting some good results. Jeannie Chesser is surfing as good as ever and looking great! 

The Local Motion Surf into Summer kicked off Memorial Day weekend in Hawaii which is always a fun event for everyone with a lot of Aloha. There are so many father-son, father-daughter and family entries I am surprized they don't have an Ohana division already. 

The contest coincides with a weekend of festivities which starts on Sunday morning at the National Cementary of the Pacific downtown Honolulu and ends at Magic Island with an incredible lantern floating ceremony. The festivities lead by Shinnyo-en Hawaii and Na Lei Foundation included Hawaii musicians, Hula dancers, an amazing Taiko drum band, and the invocation of Archbishop Shinso Ito. Her message of hope focused on peace, unity and understanding through the spirit of Aloha. Shinso joined with governor Linda Lingle and other state officials to ignite the torch and set out the first lantern. This traditional Japanese Buddhist custom was originally performed to pay respect to ancestors and comfort the spirit of souls passed. Today in Hawaii, it crosses cultural barriers to pay tribute to war heros and family members lost in natural disasters. They estimated 30,000 people at the event which covered a long stretch of Ala Moana Beach Park to cast out nearly 1000 lanterns. It was one of those times where you wish everyone in the world could see the magic of our islands.

Also in the memorial day mix Brian Keaulana gave a SUP camp, opening up a fair range of boards and equipment for the public to try out. The camp lasted throughout the 3 day weekend on the Northshore which was absolutely beautiful conditions for learning stand up paddle. 

There were plenty of parties and entertainment as well over Memorial Day weekend. Kathy Griffin did her comedy routine at the Shell, there was a DJ party on Saturday at the Wyland Hotel pool bar, Tempo Valley played at Jazz minds. Heavy Water Magazine through a killer benefit party at Gordon & Biersch which was set up in conjunction with Surf Into Summer. Sick Records had their one year anniversary at Lotus the week before. DJ Z-Trip played at Next Door earlier in the month and Q-Bert will be in town next week. Kid Robot collaborated with Dig Lifestyles for the store's 3 year anniversary party and the release of East 3's new toy.

A new movie called The Reef is filming here in Hawaii and Forgetting Sarah Marshall is out in theaters and said to be doing quite well. It is my understanding that the film's focus is on Hawaii's annexation. 

Local boy, Barrack Obama now has a decisive lead to be the democratic nominee.

Finally, Mandi Caruso passed on this month. Mandi joined us on the Northshore and picked up surfing late in life as a method of healing from her double macetomy. She beat all the odds until the cancer finally caught up to her again in the form of spinal cancer. Mandi reminded us all of the true beauty of surfing and we will never forget!!  R.I.P. Mandi

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Sunburnt Smiles 

July 1, 2008

Sean & Lane Davey

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The month started out with the Burger King Hawaii State Championships being held at Ala Moana Bowls. The waves were pretty killer throughout the whole 3 day event. The 2-3 foot surf in great conditions opened the door to some bowls regulars like Ha'a Aikau who won the jrs and Scottie Shimoda who took the masters divisions. 

The very next morning at twilight, a 6 foot wave rolled through the big bowl totally unridden which might have been the biggest wave of the whole summer so far, but that was just the beginning of long span of swell which would last virtually all month. 

There was one whole week of solid 3-5 foot surf in town which surged in at different times and even pushed through a couple bigger sets, but stayed very consistently in the 3-5 foot range. After that we had solid 2-3 feet with epic conditions and a perfect direction from the middle bowl at Ala Moana. 

Other spots that people were raving about were Threes, Yokes, Diamond head side, even Ewa Beach. We had a few days at Bowls where the place was practically empty. One day a 6 feet wave rolled through when there were just 7 guys in the Big Bowl and one guy at the middle peak. 

I heard reports from other spots that were similar. Kirby Fukunaga told me he was surfing Kaikos all by himself. With all the grumbling about the crowds in town, I think its safe to say everybody got their share at one point or another this month because it never once went totally flat. A lot of the Northshore surfers were staying in hotels and kept having to book  an extra night........ until they ran out of money or energy. Surfing is becoming a more expensive sport for us as gas prizes seem to rise each week. Its pretty much over $4 a gallon here now

Some of the locals were getting their props this month. Mike Akima was featured in the Honolulu Advertiser hooking into a round pit and Ronnie Boy Ongos received a double page spread in Heavywater Magazine. The Advertiser's record of the south shore surf became a threat to some who were playing hooky from work. An unidentified surfer came out the next day wearing a Japanese Wrestling mask just in case he was caught in action. 

On the pro scene Kekoa Bacalso claimed the 6 star Srilankan Airlines Pro with Dustin Barca placing second and Joel Centeio 3rd. 

The event was held in epic conditions allowing Hawaiians to dominate the event, grabbing 5 of the 8 quarterfinalist. Makua Rothman made Semis and Sunny Garcia is most certainly making a comeback, last I heard he was 4th on the WQS.

Freesurfer Flynn Novak has also joined the WQS this year and has made some decent results. Jamie Sterling has been spending time at Mexipipe.  Indo seems to be the trend this summer. I guess Jamie O'Brien said he recently got the tubes of his life on a recent trip there, meanwhile back at home his Dad Mick caught an 150 pound Ahi at local fishing contest. Sean Davey caught a ride on the Best of the West Dolphin tour with Sail Hawaii on the west side. He got some interesting images of the spinning Dolphins who have been spotted all around the island in top form this year. 

During the summer, Sean views the Northshore as his own natural aquarium. It has been really good for that too lately because there has hardly been any waves in the country all month. I think one day there were a couple three foot waves at Lanis,but other than that its been less than 2 feet and even more consistently not even riddable.

The month was just a frenzy for local surf contests. After the states, they held China's Wahine Classic which was almost cancelled this year due to lack of sponsorship. Thankfully 88 Tees and Steinlager chipped in to make it happen for the ladies. China considers the event a stepping stone for Hawaii's Wahine Longboarders and he gives a share of the proceeds to Kapiolani Women's and Children's Center. 

I guess you could say the 21st century rerelease of Primo has received a good welcome since it sounds like most stores can't even keep it on the shelves. They hosted the Primo Standup Challenge this month which was a race starting from the Kailua pier to the Elks Club where the $20 entry included a free lunch and tee shirt. On the Northshore, there was also a standup race which also included standard paddle boards. 

The Shaka Longboard Series had a hard time kicking off their event at Flies due to a conflict with too many other events but eventually kicked off at Queens. Kamu Auwae took the pro division and Ikaika Kalama the stand-up. The Keiki Oceanfest had their first annual event at Waimanlo Beach Park. Last but not least, the annual all military contest was held at White Plains and in some decent surf. On top of all that the Pan Pacific Festival held parades, a block party and several festivites in collaboration with King Kamehameha Day. It has been kinda like one big surfing Pa'ina (party) down the beach this month and everyone is crusing around with sunburnt smiles. Its great that we saved those parking spots at bowls because the Aloha truly lives in that beat up old parking lot that where we all hang around talking story and waiting for the best time to paddle out.

Surfrider celebrated International Surfing Day with a beach cleanup at Magic Island. The state recently added a new buoy just outside the Ala Wai channel to regulate water quality at our surf breaks and are active in meetings concerning Hawaii's growing problem with the so-called Super Staph virus. They are not sure what is causing it. They also organized a viewing of the documentary Rokkasho Rhapsody at UH. The film gives an inside look at Japan's reprocessing plants.

If anyone had any extra energy left to go clubbing, DJ Q-Bert played at Lotus. They had a big 80s fest with Klymaxx. Lisa Lisa and others which I heard was jampacked at Aloha Tower. The Blue Scholars from Seattle are performing at Next Door next weekend. A big dance show is coming to Fashion 45 this weekend with stars from MTVs dance show.

Several graduation ceremonies rang throughout the islands. You just can't beat a graduation ceremony in Hawaii with all the leis and Aloha that circulates through the spirit of family here. Congrads to Aisha Akima who celebrated with a killer party at Pipeline cafe that drew a large crowd of local surfers!

Hana Hou Barry O! On June 4th, Barack Obama became the first African American and homegrown Hawaii boy to become the democratic Presidential nominee. Rumors have it he may have enough time in the water to claim first surfing president as well.

Looks like the waves will coninue at atleast fun size all the way through the holiday weekend and the Northshore is expecting a bump.

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SPORTS :: SURF :: LIVING THE SURF LIFE :: RECORD BREAKING SURF

Record Breaking Surf 

August 1, 2008

Sean & Lane Davey

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South Shores have seen record breaking months for both June and July this season. I always plan a trip during July since the surf is flat, but this year it was hard to leave. Fun 2-3 foot waves were the rule for south shores most of the month. There were one or two days with some 5 foot sets coming through, but the consistency was incredible. We haven't seen surf like this on south shores for years now. Even when you are tired, sunburnt and totally surfed out the waves seemed to regenerate themselves day after day with yet one more serge with perfect direction and wind conditions. There were a few days when the wind got real strong this month and kinda ruined the surf, but for the most part it was about as good as it gets for small waves.

The Macys E Series was held on one of the best days all month and during a killer swell which provided perfect waves at Ala Moana Bowl. The contest started in 2-4 foot surf and ended in 3-4 ft surf and I heard that the semi final heat it was so consistent that a 20 wave set came through. Davey Boy Gonsalves was able to score a perfect 10 in that semi final heat and second place in the contest. Flynn Novak claimed the victory by scoring a double barrel on the inside bowl in the final. Jason Shibata was third place and Kaipo Jaquias was fourth. Randall Paulson made semis as well and all who watched were stoked on seeing some of our top Hawaiians rip it up in such a good venue with good waves.

Flynn Novak


Davey Gonsalves at Ala Moana


Randal Paulson

Though most people were pretty stoked to see some of their friends advance in the Macys E Series, contests have become a bit of an annoyance at our beloved Bowls. The Macys was held just 3 days after the Quicksilver Surf Shop contest and the Shaka Longboard Series event was scheduled to start within the same week but had to be rescheduled out about a week due to contest overload at the break. Nonetheless 3 contests in three weeks is too much for one spot  That doesn't even mention all the contests going on elsewhere. During that 3 weeks there were also 2 events held at Queens; the T&C Gromfest one weekend and the China Longboard the next. Both are longstanding and exciting events which gain full support from the community. The T&C Gromfest hosted 200 keiki who surfed in several divisions including invitational air show and a tandem division for keiki and parents. The China Longboard event suffered a break in swell and was somewhat frustrating for competitors but contest directors made up for it by increasing heats to 20 minutes long with less surfers. Banzai Betty will be holding an event at Kewalos for the girls August 16-17 which is presented by professional surfer and skater Gina Wardrop's One Love Surf Shop and hosted by Girls Who Surf. The contest will have amateur divisions and two pro divisions over 2 days and will showcase Carrisa Moore, Aleeza Quizon, Coco Ho and other top women surfers in Hawaii. On the one side of it, the contests in town are great because they are open to the locals and provide a sense of community, but on the other hand it seems to be a little bit out of control when you are having back to back contest weekend after weekend at more than one surf break at a time. Personally, I think some of the specialized events that are not open to the locals should be restricted or it will and already is getting to the point where clubs and groups outside of Hawaii can buy their way into highly localized surf spots by holding surf contests.

Ku ikaika Stand Up Paddle

Two free SUP clinics were hosted this month by C4 Waterman, Boardworks Hawaii and Blue Planet Surf which is beneficial so long as they are not held at my surf spot. Ha Ha. Check it out at www.boardworkshi.com 

Carissa

Hawaiian Girls dominated in the U.S. Open this month. Wildcard Malia Manuel defeated top contenders to become the youngest competitor to win the competition at the mere age of fourteen. Seventeen yr old Koko Ho clinched the runner up spot at this highly rated event. Meanwhile in Biarritz France, Hawaiian Joy Monahan became the 2008 ASP World Longboard Champion after winning the Roxy Pro Jam. Mark Healey advanced to the final of the Red Bull Big Wave event in South Africa which had some solid waves. Kauai's Koa Smith dominated both his divisions in the NSSA Nationals at Trestles. Australia's Jamie Mitchel won his seventh consecutive victory in the paddleboard race from Molokai to Oahu.

Coco Ho

Jellyfish terrorized surfers this month. There were two separate occasions when over 100 stings were reported. A man died fishing by Diamond Head this month. He got sucked out and back into the rocks by a solid set wave. A dead whale washed up somewhere in Kahuku and caused a stir amongst residents who were a bit frustrated that the state would not tend to it. Some think that the military sonar is to be blamed for some of these mysterious whale deaths. 

The Honolulu Advertiser staff went on strike this month. Hawaiian Heavywater Magazine is holding it down and becoming the true local magazine in Hawaii featuring several of Hawaii's youth and personalities. With Zack Noyle and Kaz Sano doing the photography, Bernie Baker as an editor and Reid Inoye as owner, the mag has a promising future in the islands to say the least.

Fireworks at Turtle Bay

The Turtle Bay land purchase seems to be hitting a few roadblocks and there was another hearing in town. Eddie Rothman celebrated his 60th birthday at this years Da Hui party. Comedian Chris Rock played in Honolulu this month and Hawaii is excited about a possible visit by democratic nominee Barack Obama. Bustin Down the Door is playing soon at Dole Cannery in Honolulu with a autographing session by Shaun Thompson and Mark Richards. So far I have heard nothing but great reviews.

Mark Richards


Shaun Thompson

Looks like surf is slowing down for the first of August, but hopefully it wont last long!

Lane Davey

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Obama Ohana

September 1, 2008

Sean & Lane Davey

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Just when you thought it would never end, the waves  really slowed down this month. There were just about 2 or 3 swells on the south shore and all of them were pretty small. 

South Shore

If you saw a 4 ft wave any where this month, you were lucky, The Northshore was a little better than its been; there were a few little waves off and on which were mostly windswell so pretty windy and choppy. Some guys were attempting to surf jellyfish infested Goat Island and coming in with 3 stings. I tryed it one day and got 2 stings in 20 minutes or 1 sting per wave. One day I heard that several surfers were chased out of the line up their by sharks just to add to the excitement.

Other folks were keeping busy at the Dukes Oceanfest www.dukefoundation.org which included swimming and all kinds of watersport competitions for one solid week in honor of Hawaii's Olympic swimming champion. 

Duke Statue

In 1912, at the Stockholm Olympics, Duke Kahanamoku won a gold medal in the 100m freestyle with a record breaking time. Ironically, the 2008 Dukefest coincided with Michael Phelps' record-breaking sweep at Bejing this year, but he will still have to show us his ocean and surfing skills to obtain high waterman honors here in Hawaii. 

Waimea Bay is the best pool in the world during the summer

Candice Appleby is getting plenty of props for beating all the boys in the pro SUP division at the Dukefest. I think she actually beat Brian Kealana and some of the boys which is kinda funny. What a great way to squash that sport, let the girls beat the boys at it and then all the guys will all quit and tell the girls its easy. Finally, a scoring theory we can get onboard with. The stand-ups have become an absolute nusance this month with the small waves; some mornings their were like 10 of them at 1-2 foot Lanis who were actually okay being that they were serious enough to get up at 5 am. Its the kooky ones that show up all by themselves around midday that really ruin it for the rest of us since their boards seem to being cleaning up the line up every time they take off on a wave. I heard a rumor that they have already restricted the SUPs at Hanalei and some other outer-island locations so there is hope that us regular surfers wont have to go into extinction.

Carrisa Moore cleaned up at the Sea Hawaii Girls Who Surf Pro Am this month. She won both shortboard and longboard divsions plus the Flyhi Trick award. Aleeza Quizon was a close second in the shortboard division and there were a list of amateur champions in bodyboarding, standup paddling and shortboard as well. This women-only event was hosted by Girls Who Surf and presented by One Love surf shop, which is owned by Gina Wardrope a former pro surfer and skater. Banzai Betty put the event on in place of her historic women's Pipe contest that she was not able to obtain the permit for this past season. Props to Betty for putting on a great event for the women.

The Northshore offered perfect condtions for the Northshore Open Ocean Swim which was the last in the series of swims. It was near flat with a current which took swimmers in the right direction from Pipe to Waimea, so they were stoked

Rockpiles

Bodysurfing Barack Obama was most certainly the biggest surf news of the month. The Hawaii-born Illinois senator came back home to the islands for a family vacation this month. According to the media, he was set to arrive just before his rally at Ke'ehi Lagoon on 8-08-08, but my sources say the 20 motorcade escort in Pearl City the night before was taking him to his sisters house. Its so funny to think that anyone in Pearl City would need that kind of security and that just 2 years ago Barack Obama himself would not have needed a single bodyguard. During his speech in Honolulu the very next day he relayed many of the same points we have seen him talk about all around the country, but then he got quite intimate with the Hawaii crowd by telling us that he couldn't wait to get a plate lunch, go to the beach and visit his tutu (grandma). Local surfer and activist Tony Agao was featured on the news talking about his meeting with Barack and explained that upon their honorary handshake each outstretched his arms and embraced in a hug. At that point Tony exclaimed in excitement that he knew Obama had "The mana" 

Tony Agao at Ala Moana Bowls

Throughout the week, he was then spotted visiting Punahoe highschool, playing golf in Kailua and greeting the public while crusing Ala Moana Beach Park, but nothing captured him in true local style like the pic and video of him bodysurfing at Sandy Beach. It was at this point that we all realized he has the skills to claim first surfing president as well.

Diver and Fish at Waimea

A week later at the Democratic National Convention, the Hawaii section received national coverage of delegates and fans giving shakas and wearing Lauhala hats. The Akaka Bill which recognizes native Hawaiian issues and addresses the controversial overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom is getting national recognition and full backing from Obama. On August 27, Barack Obama became the first African American to ever receive the democratic nomination for president of the United States. In that historic moment he gave a speech which was witnessed by over 75,000 people in Denver, Colorado and is already being perceived by some as one of the best political speeches of all time. He most fittingly accepted the nomination on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King's I have a Dream speech and is evidence that the dream is most certainly alive today. It was a proud and emotional moment for all Americans and a new hope for the people of Hawaii.

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Still in the Starting Blocks 

October 1, 2008

Sean & Lane Davey

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September started out with a killer town swell, one of the best all summer. It was solid 3-5 with a few bigger ones and was more consistent than some of the earlier swells we had. The southeast direction of the swell was a bit off for Ala Moana bowls, but #3s down the way was said to be "all time" . The Northshore came back to life a little bit, but we are still anxiously awaiting some solid waves out here since there hasn't been anything over 4 ft since last spring. 

The Shark factor has surfers adrenaline pumping this month. After Great Whites were spotted just outside beaches in Kailua and on the Big Island an attack occurred at Crouching Lion on the East side of Oahu. Forty year old surfer Todd Murashige suffered a pretty menacing attack on his leg, but is expected to recover. The Advertiser reported that Todd had to pry the 18-22 inch sharks head open to save himself and the surfer was questioning the idea of whether he will ever surf again. Todd is a well known top amateur surfer in the islands. Were all pulling for you Todd! 

On the Northshore sharks have been spotted on a regular basis at Gas chambers chomping turtles and one was just off the beach in Waialua as well. Sharks frequent Ala Moana bowls in town due to the large juicy Ala Wai channel that parallels the break. 

Small sharks have been spotted just inside the channel all month which wasn't a big deal until a 12 ft tiger appeared inside the surfers at what we call Boscos Bowl and seemed to scare some guys in. Our friend went on the shark boat recently and said that their were big tigers attacking the cage which is unusual since they typically see less aggressive sharks on the tour. I have been thinking about one time when some locals talked about old Hawaii mentioning that every 6 years their was a season that the Hawaiians did not go in the ocean due to the sharks. I am not sure whether it was a spiritual ritual or if it was a breeding season, but ironically it seems like about 6 years ago when we had this same type of shark influx. I dont know if their is any scientific evidence or historical evidence to it but it does seem to somehow make sense. 

The Ala Wai parking problem has adopted a board which will meet once every so often to make sure boat owners and the public have a stake in the proper use of the boat harbour. Defend Oahu Coalition is still fighting the good fight to Keep the Country Country however rumor has it that Turtle Bay is adding two more lanes that go to the hotel in order to extend their permit for five more hotles. hmmm, interesting. Hawaiii governor Linda Lingle is on the mainland campaigning against Hawaiian born Barack Obama for the republican ticket.

Heavywater magazine partnered up with Defend Oahu Coalition to host NEON, a surf benefit at Pipeline Cafe which was a wild surf party that brought about 1500 people through the door. Breakers has been hosting Jazz every Sunday and they had a band play at Waimea this month. UH Manoa also hosted a Jazz festival.  You guessed it, yes another SUP demo or a few of them this month; no wonder there are so many people jumping on board. 

Bayvi Clothing Co. hosted a free photoshoot and contest at Kaisers to elevate local surfers. The contest offers a double page spread to the surfer who gets the best photo. Ace Cool swam around Oahu for blue water this month. He did a 100 mile swim in different segments over 10-11 days. I guess he is in shape for winter now! Thanks for staying active ACE! 

Hawaiian wahine Melanie Bartels won the Billabong Pro in Rio!! 

We lost a beloved and respected brother named Lester Falatea this month. If you surfed big waves on the Northshore there is a good chance you knew Lester. He was a Samoan guy with a big smile and a comforting laugh who charged some of the biggest waves at Pipe, Sunset and Waimea on his Longboard. Lester worked as a steward for Hawaiian Airlines and would bring his cel phone out to the line up on huge days in case he got called into work. I remember the first day I saw him with the cel phone and I couldn't believe it, but that is just one example of how Lester ignited one of the most intense line ups in the world with his humor and humility rather than his ego. When surfers attended his service at the Laie Mormon church most of us did not know he had joined the preisthood and most of the clergy did not know Lester was an such an extreme surfer, but we all loved Lester. He was one of kind. 

He leaves behind a wife, four children and a family of eleven.  He died of a genetic heart defect which took him pretty much instantly.

Lester's paddle out service which was held at 6am had a large attendance of surfers from a variety of lifestyles. I think surfers who came from all different walks of life felt unified through sharing in the incredible ceremony. Friends all left with a hot pink sticker that states "Live Like Les"  so I hope it will help remind us to live laugh and love when we are out in the surf this winter and truely enjoy our time in the water!  Aloha 'oe Lester!

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Cirque du Soleil of Surfing 

January 1, 2009

Sean & Lane Davey

BASED ON 1 MEMBER REVIEW
HELP ME WITH RATINGS

In the beginning, it looked like we were in for another dud of a winter. The swells came late, but got here just before the Triple Crown so locals got a good little feed before the Cirque du Soleil of Surfing pitched their tents. The Triple Crown circus was in full effect this year drawing crowds into the seven mile miracle like we have never seen before. 

Loads of people on the beach at Pipeline

The Reef Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa kicked off just after a really nice swell and they had some decent surf off and on throughout the contest. The final day started off in hideous onshore conditions which switched offshore midday providing for a great final. The 3-4 foot waves were just barrelling right through the toilet bowl or those pros were making them barrell, Im not sure which. The first leg of the Triple Crown was won by Tahitian surfer Michel Bourez who got a high scoring tube ride to win the event. Hawaii's Kekoa Bacalso also made the final placing third and thus qualified for the World Championship tour.

Kekoa Bacalso at Turtle Bay


Kekoa Bacalso stoked to make it onto the WCT

Carissa Moore who recently left Roxy and signed with Nike proved her validity to mainstream athletics as she captured the women's division becoming the youngest competitor to ever win the event. 

Carissa Moore in the pit near town

Hawaii's Coco Ho also made her way into the final and qualified for the 2009 World Tour. Both these young women are a class act, sure to raise the level of professionalism in surfing and women's action sports.

Coco Ho Rocky Lefts

The Oneil World Cup kicked off in some solid surf maxing out Sunset 10-12 ft with a few wash through 15 ft sets. CJ Hobgood claimed victory on the final day. 

Ian Walsh at the O'neill World Cup at Sunset


O'neill World Cup at Sunset

The Roxy kicked off in epic 6-8 ft surf but concluded in just 1-3 ft which kindof bummed out some of the girls who were enjoying some sizable waves to themselves. Stephanie Gilmore was able to win the contest and the World Championship Tour in that event and then went on to claim the Triple Crown on Maui by winning the Billabong Pro which had to be moved to Ho'okipa due to lack of swell. 

The Pipe Masters was able to sneak through their three day competition  in some good backdoor with a few nice Pipe waves. The swell was a bit of a let down however compared to the 2 weeks prior which had some 10 foot epic rides and even a few moments where the second reef was breaking.

Danny Fuller at Pipeline


Kalani Chapman - Pipeline

The final day started out like a dream for those who came early. There were solid 10 foot sets breaking with stiff offshore southerly winds under the moon light. We don't often get those offshore winds here and the waves were thick and hollow but did not have the bite they usually do with common easterly  trades. It was a really neat way to finish the final day of the Triple Crown. Kamalei Alexander was one of Hawaiis most outstanding surfers in this event advancing to the quarterfinals after placing second in the Xcel earlier this year.  In the end however, Kelly Slater went head to head with Chris Ward in a man on man final with fading swell and conditions where  Slater found two scarce waves to capture his win. The talk however was not about his 6th time Pipe win or his 9th World Championship title but the 5'11 he managed to ride throughout the day in the 6-8 foot surf. Surfline has a full write up on the board which looks almost like a fish in the front with a real narrow tail. 

Kelly Slater 2008 PipeMasters

Gerry Lopez was there signing his new book which is said to be a sort collection of stories about the all timegreat Pipe days of his time. My friend Adam 12 (another Pipe legend) showed me the book and mentioned that he was in it so I got the impression that it was pretty authentic. 

Gerry Lopez Pipeline 1996

The 62 year old Lopez paddled out inbetween the semis and the final with Rory Russel and Bonga Perkins for an expression session which was pretty cool, but the waves were pretty bad. I dont know if Garret McNamara was invited to the expression session but he wooed the crowd by catching a wave with his standup paddle while wearing a Santa hat.

Garrett McNamara has the Christmas Spirit

Maui's 19 year old Dusty Payne was a complete standout at this years Triple Crown placing 4th at Haleiwa, 5th at Sunset and going down in round three at Pipe to Joel Parkinson who was able to score two perfect 10s and advance far enough to win a well-deserved  Triple Crown victory  putting Payne second in the final standings. 

Dusty Payne 2008 PipeMasters

Props to Joel. He surfs out Pipe a lot when he's here in Hawaii and is one of the few guys who can score some of the best waves while maintaining complete gentlemen status.

Joel Parkinson at Pipeline

Its encouraging to see surfers who are as professional as Joel Parkinson amongst the onslaught of egomaniacs. Believe it or not there is actually a good group of the guys who give respect to the locals and we enjoy their company in the surf for those 6 weeks out of the year. 

The last day of the Pipemasters actually came right after a nasty 2 day Kona storm.  The Northshore in particular was threatened on both ends. In Waialua, the river got blocked and swept away houses and cars. Parts of Kahuku and the east side were also flooded. Both schools were closed on the Northshore. By the time Kelly Slater was accepting his trophy the whole beach was already labeling it the Triple Brown Poop Masters and then it continued to rain and storm for a few more days. The National Weather Service had to put out leptospirosis warnings for beachgoers surfing nearby streams and besides some treated and untreated waste plants had dumped out as well. For the next few days after the contest a good majority of surfers were staying out of the chocolate brown water which at times had a stinche and a nasty foamy film. YUCK 

2008 PipeMasters


Andy Irons at the 2008 PipeMasters


PipeMasters 2008

Unfortunately the swell seemed to disappear with the storm and the piles of people, but I think most of us are enjoying the small waves to ourself right now. It has been so uncrowded and peaceful since the day the contest ended. Sometimes I think those pros want to get out of here faster than we want them to leave. The crowds are exhausting for everyone including the surfers. The water is still pretty filthy from Haleiwa to Waimea but people have been enjoying the sandbars and Pupukea which have been super small but really rippable. Hawaiian favorite Pancho Sullivan is said to be retiring from the tour this year. He had a solid victory at the XCEL Pro earlier this year to put a nice little bow on his professional season. 

Pancho Sullivan Winning the Xcel Sunset Pro 2008


Pancho Sullivan

Other pros who are leaving the tour this year include Bruce Irons, Danny Wills and Layne Beachly.  Amaion Goodwin suffered a bad injury at Pipe already this season. He took off on a 10 foot ledger and pulled into the tube when his friend Cody Grahmn dropped in and it looked like he cartwheeled into the tube with him. It was a pretty horrific sight which should remind us all the danger of dropping in on our fellow surfers especially at Pipeline. 

Aamion Goodwin at Pipe

There have been a few killer days at Pipe already even though there is still a warble in the wave due to the sand pile stuck hovering over Ehukai Beach Park. The tally of radical wipeouts is certainly outnumbering radical waves at this point, but hopefully January will change that. Waimea broke 12-15 plus one afternoon and that is about as big as its been so far but there have been several 10 foot days. Jamie O'Brien has been taking Pipe to another level this year, taking off on the most ledging 10 footers and pulling in mid-face.

Jamie Obrien - Pipeline

My husband and photographer Sean Davey called him one day and said I'm not shooting anymore photos of you at Pipe because your making it look too easy. (that was a joke of course) There has been some incredible surfing at Pipe with guys making impossible waves.

Wade Tokoro has also been a standout this year at Pipe catching some of the best waves on the best days. He is amazing surfer and incredible shaper who turns up every morning crack of dawn with some bust up old board that he has put back together 6 times. What a great role model in this era of consumerism. 

Wade Tokoro, A Great Surfer, An Even Better Shaper


Wade Tokoro captured here, trying out one of his shapes for Mick Fanning, hense the stickers

Cole Christen is another underground Pipe guy who paddled out with a whole crew of his underground friends on a very big ugly Pipe day and somehow made it look good. At that moment, I was hoping they could enter their crew in the Backdoor shootout to see how far they could get. There are so many underground surfers that never get much credit for their waterman skills on paper, but they are most certainly an inspiration to us all.

Surfrider recently held their John Kelly Awards. Surfer Shaun Tomson was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award, 

Shaun Thompson

Dave Rastovich the Pro Surfer Award and Styrophobia was honored as the Environmentally Friendly Local Company. The Awards show and dinner was followed by a party at Aloha Tower called The Disco hosted by Hawaiian Heavywater and Lost clothing. The Lifeguards held their annual party this year in Haleiwa since Waimea Valley has been closed. The movie Walking on Water premiered here in Haleiwa and in town. Canon featured their week long promotional presentation with workshops, lectures and the like. It has been pretty action packed on the Northshore as usual for this time of year and most of us are looking forward to a quiet Christmas and some more waves.  Looks like the lull in swell will last pretty much through the end of the month and we will have to wait and see what the new year brings. It is my understanding that the Bodyboarding event which is usually held in January is not until late February this year ( Feb 17th I believe) I dont know what comes inbetween that but the Backdoor Shootout and the Monster Pro are more local events and do not draw the kind of crowds that the Triple Crown does. Banzai Betty received a permit for her women's event at Pipeline again this year which will be held late March early April. 

Aloha and stay tuned!

Lane Davey at Pipeline

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What Happened? 

March 1, 2009

Sean & Lane Davey

BASED ON 1 MEMBER REVIEW
HELP ME WITH RATINGS

It's funny how there are all these mags on the newstands claiming best winter ever!!!! Best winter ever for the Pro season, but in all reality I can't remember one, not one epic day since the Pipemasters. There were a few decent days I could count on one hand, but I think Waimea and 2nd Reef Pipe broke for a total of 2 hours all season with any kind of shape or form to it.. We've been getting some waves but the storms seem to be getting to the waves before we do.

Waimea

Yesterday, was a beautiful morning. One of the few clean days we've seen in almost a month, but before the sun even came up, a black ball appeared right above Pipe and seemed to blow up before our eyes producing strong trades which turned to north wind within about 10 minutes time. The 10 or 12 guys who had paddled out  in the dark came in within the next 15 minutes leaving just a couple boogies in the line up. It looked like a bomb went off in the ocean, from clean to a washing machine in a matter of minutes. There have been several days like that this winter where I have paddled out and the storm came literally with the sunrise. 

Shoot Out

It seems like for the last three years I have said this was the worst year ever, this being the 3rd. Last year we were saved by epic March conditions, the year before we had 10 ft Pipe in April, but what about this year, time is ticking and the tractors have already been at Ehukai moving sand up the beach which is obviously not a good sign.

The Mens WQS at Pipe was cancelled due to their being no sponsor, but then HIC came in and backed the event to atleast give the locals boyz their trails event into the Pipemasters. The event had no purse and the guys surfed until they made quarters, then the top two in the quarters qualified. The day they had the trails was big and second reefing, but very mixed up with a narly sandbar stuck in the wave that had been their virtually all season. 

Pipe Trials


Pipe Trials

The waves never got big enough long enough to move all the sand, and there have been a lot of north swells which just push the sand right in front of Pipe making for a dry dock section right near the barrell at Pipe. Flynn Novak won his heat and his slot in the Masters but incurred a head injury and tailbone injury after pulling into a 10 ft closeout that went totally dry. Fredrico scored a 10 but couldnt get a second wave to get through his heat. Sion scored a 10 and made it along with Mason Ho, Jonah Morgan, Dusty Payne Liam McNamara and a few more. There were 2 or 3 head injuries and a couple other injuries, it was big, narly Pipe.

Pipe Trials - Jonah Morgan


Pipe Trials - Mason Ho


Pipe Trials - Liam McNamara


Pipe Trials

The Turbo Pipeline Bodyboarding Pro presented by Senor Frogs also found a window of swell that was far from perfect, but did have some solid Pipe waves for the first two days. The final day was a let down for top seeded guys like Mike Stewart and Ben Player who didn't get to surf when the waves were big and instead had to gravel in smaller, really mixed up surf. Lucky for them however that they even got that day.  Ryan Hardy from Australia won the event, with Pierre Louis Costes(France) in 2nd and Guilherme Tamenga(Brazil) in third. Surfer Jamie O'Brien, who offered wildcard into the event and even though he didn't make the heat, I heard some were pretty impressed with his boogie skills. The whole idea of giving a surfer the wildcard created a lot of controversy and media hype so nonetheless, great promo! You can read all about what is going on with the bodyboarders at www.ibaworldtour.com and you can even follow their twitters at www.twitter.com/ibaworldtour

Bodyboarders


Bodyboarders

Next up will be the Women's Pipeline Pro will has a $50,000 purse and a 4 star ASP rating this year. Ironically, the men's WQS this year offered no prize money or rating, but the women's is the best ever! The event will be held for three days from March 31-April 14. This one of a kind, women only event includes all three disciplines; bodyboarding, shortboarding and longboarding. Though the standup surfing portion of the event did not start until 2005, bodyboarder women will celebrate 20 years of competition at Pipeline this year. Former World Champion Bodyboarder Claudia Ferrari has competed in every single Pipeline competition and will be competing this year as well. Contest director and legendary surfer Banzai Betty Depolito has been there from the start as well. Tidal 9 is sponsoring the event which will be a benefit for the GirlScouts of Hawaii. Go to www.pipelinetidal9.com for more information.

Melanie Bartels was recently endorsed by Princess Abigail Kekaulike Kawananakoa, a royal ancestor of Princess Lilioukalani (lineage - information) to do the tour this year. Last year Bartels requalified to the WCT despite missing 2 major events and has high hopes now that she has the funding to do all the events this year. Local charger Pake Salmon who in recent years has developed her skills behind the camera will be traveling with Melanie to film and photograph those magic moments. You can even go to her website: www.makahaangels.com to follow a daily blog and video clips. The girls are currently in Australia.

Melanie Bartels

Two of Hawaii's elite surfers have teamed up to form an exclusive and advance-level coaching program called Progressive Surfing. No doubt the team has the ability to produce top athletes with their 6 day packages which include coaching, evaluation and video training right here on the the Northsohre. The clinics will also incorporate aspects of physical therapy, cross-training and insight on how to compete on an international level. "We are dedicated to teaching you how to hone your talent and bring it to the highest level"  Make sure to drop at the website: www.progressivesurfing.com to view pricing and availability. Hurry now, as  they are sure to fill up quick!

This Mothers Day weekend May 9th and 10 Surfing the Nations will kick off their 3rd annual Freedom Surf Contest presented by Jedidiah. This year's contest is set to raise awareness about substance abuse in the islands promoting a drug-free Hawaii with the message of "giving back"A portion of the proceeds will go to "at risk" youth programs in Hawaii and to the Bangledesh surf club who will be sending  surfer Jafar Alam to compete in this years event.   Surfing the Nations is a humanitarian non-profit organization that serves the needs of the local community and abroad. Find out more about Surfing the Nations at: www.SurfingTheNations.com or go to www.surfersgivingback.com for entry forms.

We will see if something saves us with any kind of decent surf before its all over, but right now it looks like more north wind followed by more north swell.

Surfers - Sunset

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South Shores Save Surfers in 2009 

August 1, 2009

Sean & Lane Davey

BASED ON 0 MEMBER REVIEWS
HELP ME WITH RATINGS

My last update was in March and to be honest the northshore never really came back to life this year. It was a bad season, one of the worst ever no matter who you ask, except for the pros who got the best and only good month all year. After a bad winter and a slow spring however, we have had an extra active summer. In April, small waves started back up in the country and went all the way through the middle of June. 

South swells pulsed for almost three months solid. The month of June provided a couple solid south swells which were are as big as anything we've seen in a few years. It was a bit of a bummer that the swells were so southeast, but we are of course still happy with BIG, no matter what direction.

Though June had several days of 4 or 5 foot surf that were virtually empty, July packed in the crowds like never before. I guess the tanking economy has forced surfers who would usually travel, to stay home this year. When the 50 year olds are sitting inside and the guys in their forties are forced into the child section, its packed!  Town crowds are not as intense however as what we face during the winter season since the pack consist of people who live here.

No matter who you are or how long you've been surfing, you have probably seen those same guys in the line-up since you started. After 20 years a crowded session in town can be more like a family reunion; some which are a great time, others which end up in a big fight, either way they all mark there place in the albums of our lives. The waves were so good this summer though, most of us were in a pretty good mood, getting along and sharing waves. I have to say I had fun visiting inbetween the inconsistent sets on some of the most crowded days. Its when the waves are junk that we all turn mean.

Surfers surely had the proof to backup their claim that Ala Wai Harbour is not suitable for commericial boating. After protests earlier this year, two boats threatened the lineup in June. One sailboat did not time their way through the channel and almost went over the falls on a close out set and the next swell, a catameran took off on an 8ft wave right near the red buoys where surfers had to bail and dodge the set and the boat. All I can say is if that catameran had not been able to catch the wave it would have been ugly. Jamie Ballinger of Hawaiianwatershots.com has a pretty cool video clip of it on his site. Franko from HawaiianSwell.com also has a great collection of images from this summer's swells.

Looks like the Macys Series at Bowls starting mid August will be something to see. Word has it everybody who is anybody has been down there practicing including Northshore guys like Jamie O Brien and Makua Rothman. They will have to spend some time in that lineup to compete with locals like Randall Pauslon, Davey Boy Gonsalves Derek Lyons. Red Bull is trying to set up a contest at Sandy Beach where people go and vote for surfers they want to represent the North and South shore teams which sounds pretty interesting and rumor has it ESPN is looking to either join with or compete against ASP for a new invitational type surf tour. I think its safe to say contests both locally and globally scored some good sized waves. Matter of fact Huntington Beach got some huge waves for the contest there and Koko Ho who took 5th place at the U.S. Open  told me that they had to cancel the event in South Africa because the waves were too big. 

Carrisa Moore suggested that one of the airlines was asking her to pay $250 per board on her last trip. So much for making travel accessible in a bad economy? It shouldn't be too much of a roadblock though for Carrissa who recently added Target to her list of mainstream sponsors along with Red Bull and Nike. Thank God someone is taking surfing where it needs to be! Carrissa was out Bowls a lot this summer making the guys step up their game.

Speaking of Randall Paulson, he held the grand opening for Diamondhead Yoga this May. Partnering up with artist Mikey Harrison the duo built a beautiful little studio which offers a variety of Yoga and pilates. The team shows their passion for the environment by being the first to install both green flooring and a new top notch green lighting system. check it out at www.diamondheadyoga.com

Robin Johnston premiered his new video Randoms II at Jazz Mind which was a pretty cool party with a cowboy and Indian theme. Funny how almost all the white people chose to be cowboys; comon now. Anyways, it was a blast and a killer flick which was a breath of fresh air due to its authenticity and underground flavor. Some cryp footage of Phantoms and the Caroline Islands with Robin, his teamriders and Kohl Christensen. Nathan Fletcher also premiered his new movie at Jazz minds this month. Long time Logs surfers; Jamie Irvin Muir married his sweetheart; Natasha Je'Nell Reuter.

The Hawaii Surf Auction was a big hit this year. Randy Rarrick and the gang were able to pull in over $700,000, a good portion of which will go to charity. A board by George Greenough went for $20,000 and I think that was the biggest sale. Props to Randy and others for being such a cornerstone for perpetuating our sport; first he is a major contributor to forming Hawaii's Triple Crown and World Tour, then he pioneers a new outlet for surf culture too ! Mahalo.

Waves have slowed this week, except for east shores which got some swell from hurricane Felicia, but it was not really big enough to wrap into the north or south shores. We will see how fall sets up for this supposed El Nino winter.

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True Blessing 

January 1, 2010

Sean & Lane Davey

BASED ON 0 MEMBER REVIEWS
HELP ME WITH RATINGS

What a true blessing this season has been for Hawaiian surfers so far.

70's Hawaiian surf legend; Rory Russell

Here we are well into the month of January, 2010 and we've had waves since early August. We even had some hefty Pipe swells in August. 

3 time Hawaiian world champion at Backdoor in October


Jamie Obrien cruising the Pipe in November


Craftsman surfboard Shaper; Wade Tokoro is also a ridiculously good surfer, here at huge Pipe in September.

That's like six months of waves orrrrrready! You've gotta love that! especially after some of the less that perfect seasons that we've had in recent years.

The surf industry has shown that it's been licking it's financial wounds this year with far less team riders visiting our fair shores, but the local surfers are laughing all the way to the bank with all the perfect surf that we've been having. 

Clark Abbey at perfect, perfect Sunset  in October.


Every dog has its day. Vals reef.


Nathan Lorence at Backdoor in October


Unidentified at Off The Wall, November

The other noticeable drop off has been the almost complete absence of serious photographers. Other than the handful of regular locals, the out of town shooter has been a rare sighting this year, outside of the triple crown. Just a hand full of them and many days at Pipe and Backdoor with no water photographers. yeah, you heard me correctly. NO water photographers. Those days are back again. 

Buttons Brew Coffee

North shore surf legend; Buttons released his own Coffee brand called Buttons Brew and by all accounts, it's a mean cuppa Joe. 

Mick Fanning at Backdoor, November


2009 world champ  Mick Fanning

Aussies pretty much did a clean sweep of the Triple Crown this year along with Mick Fanning piping his best mate Joel Parkinson for the world title.

2009 runner-up; Joel Parkinson

The Eddie Aikau was an amazing event this year with even bigger surf preceding it on the day prior. The whole area had like a rock festival vibe to it for like 3 or 4 days there in early December. 

Eddie Aikau memorial paddle out.

You'd be driving along at 4 Am trying to find parking and there's all manner of people wandering around in the dark, such was the determination of folks to get here early and secure themselves a parking spot. 

Huge Waimea in the predawn light.


Hawaiian north shore local; Kala Alexander at Waimea in the pre dawn light.

I even saw folks sleeping on the road between cars. I saw so many big wave legends on the beach one morning. 

Tommy Carroll and Michael are good friends.

One of them; Tommy Carroll enjoyed dozens of waves over the 2 days leading up to the Eddie, only to screw his ankle up on a wipeout at the Bay. 

There were so many epic moments in and outside of the Eddie Aikau surfing contest. Kelly got barreled twice that I know of.

Kelly Slater looking to get deep at the Eddie.

Numerous waves closed the bay out. 

A close out set at Waimea Bay, the day before the Eddie.

Some legit 30 footers were ridden and it was probably the biggest that the bays ever been ridden, the afternoon before the Eddie went. Yeah, it was actually bigger. 

I'd like to put the word out to all our readers here in Hawaii, to pitch in a hand financially if you can and help young Kehau Sullivan, the youngest of Pancho Sullivan's 3 children. 

Kehau Sullivan

Many of you will be familiar with Pancho Sullivan as a Hawaiian on the World Championship surfing Tour and general all round nice guy and family man. Kehau was born with a heart defect and will require a series of operations on her heart as she grows older. even though Pancho had what he thought was excellent insurance, the costs are massive, so we are asking for anyone who would like to help out Pancho's family, to go to the Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-Kehau-Sullivan/182872574919?ref=search&sid=669375451.1047917501..1  The Sullivan family very much appreciates all the help that they have been receiving. 

Kehau Sullivan

I've also printed and made this historic image of Huge Waimea from the recent big swell, available as a limited edition print of only 100 pieces. 

"Waimea Mountain"   Available as a limited edition print of only 100 prints.

I am donating 50% of all proceeds on this image straight to Kehau Sullivan's fund. I chose this image for Kehau simply because it's one of my very favorite recent images. All inquiries for this limited edition print, please direct to fineart@seandavey.com. Thank you. 

As I'm writing this, we have a huge but messed up swell happening, but 2 even bigger ones approaching in a couple of days time.

Then we have the North Shore Tow In championships happening any day now and also the Backdoor Shootout, which is currently on hold till it gets small enough to run, which will then be followed by the Volcom Pipe contest, so it's bound to be an amazing ongoing season. 

Enjoy and Aloha. If you want any of these images as prints, please send an email to fineart@seandavey.com

Beautiful afternoon light at Ehukai beach park.

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Davey's Wavey Gravy Train 

February 1, 2010

Sean & Lane Davey

BASED ON 1 MEMBER REVIEW
HELP ME WITH RATINGS

It's been such a glutton-fest for big wave surfers round here lately, that most of the more prominently known ones seem to have headed off to California and beyond, chasing other big wave dreams.  

The most recent Waimea swell was a clear example of this with no pro surfers that I saw. Heaps of local underground crew out though, making the most of the rare opportunity to surf Waimea without the added pressure of a dozen pro big wave surfers or 2. 

In fact this most recent day was being called the biggest day so far by a lot of crew, including the lifeguards and I'm going to dispute that. It was gigantic.  

I saw one set take out the entire pack of surfers, leaving a dangerous tangle of broken, splintered big waves guns in it's wake, and in the impact zone.   One guy even went over in the lip.  So lucky that no one was seriously hurt in that mess.  

Round this time of the year, those smaller in between days tend to be not such good quality because the swell only gets small for like a day or 2 at this time of the year before another big one fills back in. Consequently  the smaller sessions tend to be chaotic remnants of old swells combined with for-runners from still distant approaching swells.   

Yesterday afternoon had a fast rising west swell of significant timing. Something like 13 feet -  25 seconds.  Combine that with a still languishing 6 foot north swell, and just about every wave was a weird double up, adventure into the unknown.  This morning started out looking promising with groomed looking lines marching in from the horizon, but as it got lighter, it became apparent that it's another one of those days that are so common at this time of the year.  The word is that we can expect more of the big stuff in the coming weeks.  What an amazing season, it's been.

If anyone is interested in seeing more images from this series, click here.  You can also see a gallery of the best images from the December Waimea Eddie swell here.  If anyone is interested in purchasing any of these images, please send an email to info@seandavey.com and we'll take care of it.

Aloha,
Sean

The views and information contained are not provided or endorsed by Oceanic Time Warner Cable or any its affiliates. The content provided is for general information and entertainment purposes only. Please seek professional advice before acting on any information contained within this web site. Any unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

ADD YOUR OWN COMMENT

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