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