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
