After a long consistent surf season, May was the month for Hawaii surfers to catch up on all that stuff we have been putting off all winter. There wasn't much surf at all in May. We had one really fun little 3-4 foot swell on the North shore in the beginning of the month and then it pretty much went to sleep with only 1-2 ft surf for most of the rest of the month... And those were the good days.
Jason Shibata
Town wasn't much better, with just a couple of days reaching into the 4 ft range. I'm starting to wonder if this summer is going to be just like the winter: late and smaller than normal.
If you were looking for work to do while the surf was flat, being a movie extra was a good option. There were a few movies filming out here this month. Lost, two feature films, a Japanese movie and a couple reality shows on the neighbor islands is what I've heard. Wow. The only bummer is most locals are not known for getting past the extra category and into any real acting parts.
The one that started it all: Blue Crush
The Big Island made national news recently, not because of the 4.7 earthquake but because of the Volcano which is spewing pretty hard right now. The VOG is reaching Oahu with our variable wind conditions however and if you have allergies, it ain't so pretty.
Lava Fountain
Vog sunset at Rockpile on the north shore of Oahu.
Jimmy Hall, the famous owner of North Shore Shark Tours died base jumping while on an expedition in the Artic this month. His family grieves, but expressed that he died doing exactly what he loved and yearned to do.
A murderer fled from a crime scene in Kaneohe to the North shore and was surrounded by police at Lanikai after an encounter with local surfer Chip Lane, who said the guy busted out a wad of cash and was begging him for a ride to Haleiwa. On a separate occasion, Dillon Ching was killed while trying to stop a fight at a party near Sharks Cove. The North shore is getting a little sketchy at times especially with the ever expanding ice epidemic and homeless situation here in Hawaii. Unfortunately, many of the homeless these days are victims to the rise in housing costs and hardworking whole families are being put out on the streets. It's a very sad and frustrating problem right now in the islands.
A Christian ministry group called Surfing the Nations held a contest at Queens for a drug free Hawaii. Duane DeSoto won the 2nd event in the Shaka Longboard Series at Files surf break in Kakaako. The Macys E series had to cancel their contest at Bowls scheduled this month to a later time due to the fact that most the guys were off island at another pro contest.
Raimana at Teahupoo
Matter of fact, most surfers were gone this month, traveling or otherwise. Barrel riders were in Tahiti, WQS surfers on the mainland and Longboarders in France. Sean Davey was on King Island Tasmania earlier this month shooting a contest for creative new surfboard designs. Surfing finless was probably the highlight.
Tom Carroll finless, at Musica Surfica 2007, King Island, Australia
Sage Josk at Musica Surfica 2007, King Island, Australia
Tom Wegener surfing finless at Musica Surfica 2007, King Island, Australia
Davey's folio is currently posted on Surfline so make sure to go and check it out.
Hawaii experienced yet another shark attack which occurred on Maui this month.
Not a Shark but a Whale
The Jelly fish were also on the hunt and seemed to have gotten the best of a few tourists. There was even a report of a man being stung by a sting ray at Pipe this month. I guess the local sea life is enjoying the uncrowded beaches as much as we are.
Ehukai
Despite the small surf, it was extremely beautiful on the North shore this month. Some mornings were so pristine, they seemed more like a dream.
Ehukai
The cool weather extended through most of the month, but we finally saw some warmer water and humid conditions towards the end of the month.
Lane Davey at AlaMo
There were several amateur events that started on Memorial Day weekend to kick off summer so hopefully now that we are all caught up with our chores, we will get some good surf next month.
by Lane Davey
Lane Davey at AlaMo
