Hawaii

Where to surf in Hawaii

For the vast majority of people on this planet, the name Hawaii is synonymous with surfing. From Captain Cook's first description of wave sliding to the '70s cult TV series Hawaii-5-O, even non-surfers have a pretty good idea that these shores are a surfing Shangri-la. Hawaii cradles every type of wave forum from Waikiki dribblers to Jaws juggernauts, which is perfect for this Polynesian culture that keeps their deep connection to the sea at the centre of daily life. The Hawaiian Ridge extends from the Big Island northwest to Midway Island, for an impressive 2,600km (1615mi).

Niihau

The tiny island of Niihau sits just west of Kauai and is a private island where a small population of Hawaiians live a traditional existence without mod-cons like electricity and farm the low, arid land for the Robinson family who own it. Often called the Forbidden Isle, there's little chance of ever surfing it and the expensive helicopter tours that are the only public access stick to the north end of the island, away from the reported spots on the south coast. Truly locals only here!

Kauai

The Garden Island of Kauai is basically circular so all sorts of swells can wrap around the island bringing waves to unexpected coasts.

The only stretch of the Garden Isle coastline that is not mapped in detail is the famed Na Pali coast, a primordial fringe of cliffs and jagged shoreline, facing the fury of the winter swells. The few valleys that allow access to the sea from the roller coaster Kalalau Trail are not blessed with great set-ups and notoriously dangerous, regularly taking swimmers, even in the calmer summer months. State Park permits required to camp on the 2 day hike or kayak in on one of the many organised tours.

Oahu

Oahu is Hawaii to the rest of the world – Waikiki, hula girls and beachboys, teaching the world the ancient Hawaiian art of he’e nalu, while the North Shore is where the modern heart of Hawaiian surfing resides. Pipe, Sunset, Waimea – a truly terrifying triumvirate of Pacific wave-power, ably supported by a glut of equally forceful and photogenic breaks, spooned onto the coastline like thick cream.

West of Haleiwa, through Mokuleia, a few spots are ridden when the wind dies or goes some flavour of S, otherwise it is a bit of mess in NE-E trades. These cross-shore winds attract the wind/kite crew, but it is generally low crowds and hassle. Lefts and rights near the Pu’uiki Beach Park will run off way outside, depending on swell angle and kind winds.

Mokuleia Beach Park is an easy check from the campground when N-NE pulses make the right hold up enough to connect between the rolling outside wall and the inside racetrack section over the coral. A mile west and there are more similar corners at Army Beach, which will conjure some lefts in NW swell under 8ft and hopefully S winds, otherwise the windy rigs will be flying all over the place. From here out to Kaena Point is hiking territory with trails into the Waianae Mountains and a taste of Hawaii au natural!

The leeward West Side breaks experience constant offshores which meet both summer and winter swells, giving the tight-knit community plenty of opportunity to impart their wave-riding knowledge and traditions.

The South Shore cityscape of Honolulu and Diamond Head provide the perfect backdrop for a gentle surf beyond the trampled sands of downtown Waikiki that has always been referred to as ‘Town’. The Windward Coast, or East Side is just waiting for kona winds to airbrush the constant E trade windswell into something sweet.

Molokai

Molokai’s southern shore and particularly the western tip are littered with white sand beaches, including Hawaii’s longest at Papohaku. The adjacent Kepuhi Bay is usually better, with a defined left and right at the northern end, but shorepound and rips can make it unsafe for swimmers. The north coast of the island is protected by some of the tallest sea cliffs on the planet, below which a leper colony was established at Kalaupapa in 1866. This flat tongue of land holds some good righthanders, but surfing is not encouraged. The spectacular north coast cliffs plunge straight into the ocean, and aside from trekking into Wailau Beach and checking the black sand and boulder set-ups near the rivermouth at Halawa Beach Park, there’s no action until heading back into the Pailolo Channel opposite Maui. The twisting Kamehameha V road hugs the coast near Sandy Beach, in full view of some quality lefts where the local crew charge and visitors need a healthy dose of aloha to partake. In the main town of Kaunakakai a decent S or W swell can bring some surf to the outer reef and NE winds are offshore. Strong rips, spooky, sharky line-ups, nasty lava reef bottoms and some localism are all factors when surfing Molokai – tread slowly and carefully.

Maui

Out of all the Hawaiian Islands, Maui suffers the most swell shadowing from neighbouring islands and therefore some coastlines are not worth checking in certain swell patterns. The bulk of the well-known spots can be found in Northwest Maui.

The busy west coast Kihei stretch encompasses many of the tourist resorts and hotels on the island and is usually either flat or small, which is perfect for visiting non-surfers to hit the many surf schools and catch some perfect beginner waves. The Cove is the most popular spot, working best on W or S swells, with sandy peaks at the northern end of Kalama Park or a rocky left at the southern end.

Makena State Park offers the occasional ride at Little Beach and Big Beach but it’s rarely any good and better suited to bodyboard/bash.

Super fast, bordering on the close-out and super shallow, bordering on the insane can be applied to both Dumps and La Perouse, lefts over nasty, coral-studded lava on the SW corner of the island. Picks up all S swell and is usually offshore all day, yet is pretty fickle and hard to read.

Surf is at a premium from here all the way to Hana on the NE coast thanks to sheer cliffs, crazy volcanic rock formations and swell shadowing from the Big Island.

Hana Bay is typical windward surf with some longer lefts sweeping towards the rivermouth with big N or E swell and kona winds.

Round the corner on the NE-facing coast are a couple of waves like Keanae, which gets some trade wind protection from the eastern headland and gives intermediates a chance to get some waves without much crowd pressure. Similar story at the deeply indented Honomanu Bay where there can be some good lefts on the exposed side in light or kona winds.

Big Island

While Oahu and Kauai are known for their north/south shore divide, the Big Island is an east/west side story.