Surfing the Hawaiian Waves

Sun, surf and sand are three things that immediately come to mind when you think about a Hawaiian vacation. For those who want to take the adventurous route and enjoy the surf, there are a few things that you should take into consideration before facing the full fury of the Pacific Ocean—though in my opinion enjoying the sand and the sun is a perfectly acceptable way to go (preferably with a cocktail).

If you want free, good advice, a great place to go is a local surf shop. Stroll in and talk to the local surfers about tips of where to go and where to avoid. Depending on your experience and skill level, they will give probably be more than apt in pointing you the right direction (and outfitting you with proper equipment if you should need it). If you are nice, they may even let you know the overly crowded spots to avoid and the local spots that may not be the friendliest to tourists attempting to catch a wave.

The surf in Hawaii is notoriously rough. A “Hawaiian Wave” is measured from the back of the wave, not the front. So, a wave that is 15 ft. Hawaiian is actually like riding on top of a 3 story building. Be aware of what the conditions are like before you head out and take proper precautions. Don’t think that because you’ve done some totally awesome riding off the California coast you can necessarily handle a huge pipeline. These big waves often break on reefs and you can easily get hurt if you are unprepared to handle advanced surfing conditions.