THE North Shore was pummeled by a 15ft@15 seconds on Saturday, December 5th, and Waimea was cooking - not to mention insanely busy...
Sunset was a washout so no comp on, meaning they had to run the following morning - when the swell dropped back enough for it not to be a seething cauldron of whitewater.
So, to Wammy, the bay of big boards, brutal beating and horrendous traffic. I think I'll let the photos do the talking.
Study this shot closely... Things are about to go horribly wrong for this dude.
bodyboarding and surfing are two different lifestyles, two different skill sets, i longboard but mostly bodyboard, granted you stand up in surfing, holding a rail in the barrel and being good enough to make the tube on a bodyboard is far harder on a bodyboard than a surf board, but riding shorebreaks is part of what we do, we may not be able to tow in or be fast enough to take the biggest waves but it certainly does take skill, do you think that professional bodyboarders are all people who couldnt surf? they chose to keep bodyboarding because it encompasses the style of riding they enjoy most, there are certainly some skill sets the pro bodyboarders have that no one else in the world does, and to take of on a big wave on a bodyboard in my book is far more courageous because we dont have the speed, but we have the mind set, which is what counts, do you have what it takes to charge hard? or do you run back to mommy?
Agree with the lat two comments, what a waste of time. There are so many big waves in the world that are better and have minimal crowds. I know it's for the show ponies but still....
I need to clear the air about Waimea. Its not the best big wave in the world, but it jacks up and tubes hard on the takeoff, has a deepwater channel, warm water, and the only true PARTY WAVE in the world,where dropping in on others is just fine, since its a straight shot to the channel. No localism bullshit. Its the tropical vibe and the history of the place. It's basically an elavator drop from hell that takes balls. The drop is just as heavy, and the wipeouts, as mavericks, but waimea is way shorter of a ride. Another plus of waimea is that there are bikini babes everywhere staring you down if you paddle out. other more remote locations with burlier waves (aliens, dungeons, etc, there's nobody around to share the joy. Its just a unique experience and I felt I had to give you a perspective. The afternoon was uncrowded, but less photogs. I asked Marr,dungeons local, how the place compared to Mavs. He said they're both equal in power. When Waimea breaks big, you can also choose to surf alone at any outer reef (avalanche, gators, phantoms, logs, and more, within 3 miles of the bay. All deadly. Even the bay is deadly.
I forgot to add; Your right, the crowds/traffic are lame; the camera hungry surfers go to Waimea since its such a zoo with photogs. The true soldiers go to the outer reefs like phantoms and dodge huge A frame bombs just to snag one or two. Another thing; Waimea shorebreak is a bitch it paralyzes up to 15 people a year. but,come surf Waimea Badger and you'll realize that you'll get some bombs if you have balls. No jet ski needed. Also, you could bring a big wave venue to UK. It brings in so much $ into your economy and the wave will police itself if its heavy
Nice explanation there, gives me a better feel for the place, cheers! Yeah i watched a vid online of McNamara trying to paddle out at maxing Waimea, and he got washed into the "death zone", looks nasty as hell! How do you even get out of that situation? ..... Thanks for the invite but i haven't the balls for such an endeavor i'm afraid and being a sponge, it wouldn't be my first choice if i did have the nutsack! Full on respect to you and the rest who ride however, looks like a mean old wave. I didn't realize the shorey claimed so many spines, i did used to wonder how people survived those beasts unscathed and i guess by your comment that some don't!
That is brutal. I can't see the fun in hassling for a wave that size and then getting dropped in on by five guys, if you're able to paddle through the human slalom course. Is dropping in acceptable at Waimea?
Yes, dropping in is acceptable at Waimea. No where else is it acceptable. Hey what flag are you flying? Im coming out there to score, away from crowds. or go to secret spots throughout the Hawaiian archipelago cz we get plenty. remember theres 7 islands. its like madera, or azores, or canaries, but with way more swell. Im commenting the hell out of this article cz I caught my biggest ride of the year on this day and am high on life. Aloha
How completely depressing. Looking at those crowds makes me ecstatic to be surfing 3-4 ft at my local with as many guys total as are taking off on one wave in this article...
Crowds suck but ive surfed big waimea all alone. its called dawn patrol! I actually prefer it crowded cz safety in numbers. If yo do lose your board out there the rip may take you to the death zone across the bay, where no one can save you but God. The lifeguards dont begin till 8am! Also, people dont see here is a sheltered, uncrowded, double overhead tubing point break going off just a few K down the beach.
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