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Had the pleasure of a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year with the whole dam Fam.....
But more importantly.....
got in the water on all four shores.
Makapuu Point on the East Shore. Should be called the washing machine. Less than head high but I have never worked harder in my life.
Makaha on the West Shore.....5-7 with ideal conditions except the the Holiday crowd in the line up was like running an obstacle course.
Pipeline on the North Shore.....4-6 so not life threatening and a lot of fun at that size.
South Shore had nothing going on but I caught some little ones at the Wall just to say I did.
Rod.....I saw Turtle Bay on a day when I was too chicken to even venture out. Same day Sunset was breaking 12-15 and the guys out made it look easy.....but I was not fooled and stayed out of the water.
Fun to see all the prone riders in Hawaii.
Surfline predicts 25' on Wed North Shore.....sorry I will miss that sight.
Having now been to five of the islands I find that Oahu is my favorite all round pick. Lots of variety and action of all sorts.....but you can still get away from the hustle and bustle when you want.
Bottom line.....it was a great trip and we are on our way home tomorrow with no mishaps....so far.
Anybody out there agree with me about Oahu being the best of the Islands? I have a feeling I maybe asking for egg on my face with that question.

Oahu probably has been all-around swell exposure and even some nooks and crannies on the trade winds exposed East side. There is a reason the North Shore is called the 7-Mile or 13-Mile Miracle. Granted, my experience is limited to Oahu and the Big Island, but it is based upon what I have heard over the years.

Sorry you didn't paddle out at Turtle Bay You certainly caught Pipeline the right size

O'ahu is getting bombed with 15 foot Hawaiian NNW right now - the Big Island is getting nothing.

Rod is right: O'ahu has great all-around swell exposure except for SE shadow and minimal Kauai shadow (see http://ilikai.soest.hawaii.edu/HILO/Ima ... shadow.jpg) O'ahu has many more surf spots and much more swell exposure than any of the other islands. It also has many, many more surfers.

SJB,
Which of the Hawaiian Islands is the best is has always been a point of contention among visitors and residents alike. It all boils down to what you like and what you are looking for. Every island has its own unique characteristics and is special in its own way.

Rod and Ted are correct in observing that Oahu has the most, and some of the best, surfing opportunities to be found in the islands, but every island has its own jewels.

Maui is home for me now, and has been for a number of years. I really can’t imagine living anywhere else. But I grew up on Oahu and have so many fond memories, both in and out of the water, that it will always be “back home” for me.

Which island is the best? Well, that depends on who you’re talking to. Every island is the “best” for someone. Personally, I love them all.

RNT808,

I liked your avatar. Is this your own artwork or some other source?

Bob

Aloha Bob,

I'm glad you like the avatar. It started out as a scanned image of a turtle petroglyph and a small sample of Celtic ribbon work.
I just played around with it in Corel Photo-Paint; adding color, working with layers, effects and such like that. So its both, part mine and part some other source. I enjoy that kind of thing, it kind of relaxes my mind and is fun.

If you could exclude the crowds/traffic/ petty crime/ etc. factors, O'ahu would win for sure because of the high concentration of accessible high quality surf spots. Throw those factors back in and O'ahu isn't first place in my book. Things have definitely changed there (mostly for the worse) or become stranger since I lived there; paradise lost I guess.

I had a good time on the Northshore last March. There weren't too many people. But this was after the main season. I was going to go over there this month, but decided against it. My son has been going to school over there he says it gets very crowded. Also if you look at the Surfline cams there are gobs of people out by 8 or 9 in the morning.

On day last March I paddled out Pipeline when it was moderately big. I thought I might catch 1 or 2 waves . But it was ridiculous. I went back to Gas Chambers and had a great time.

OG-AZN,

I talk to many sales reps from O'ahu who complain about the crowds there. They are always amazed to see photos of nearly empty, albeit rocky, breaks here on the Big Island. (So far those breaks have remained nameless, heh-heh.) Crime at my favorite breaks is non-existent: I leave my video camera running on a tripod next to my truck all the time. The only "crime" so far has been unsolicited comments made by my buddies and random people on the bluff.

O'ahu has much more surf and exposure, but I have a ton of fun here on the Big Island.

I love to travel.....and particularly love Hawaii and Mexico because of their proximity to home......but I am always happy to come home to the Central Coast......and yes I consider Santa Barbara to be Central Coast.

http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/breed ... ura_64348/

.

Whole big swaths of Cali north of SF Bay area, lots of semi and fully secret points that can really fire on the right swell, with plenty white sharks shopping for sleek, black, torpedo shapes to bite on. I lived in Sebastopol for over 10 years. Lots I loved and things I really didn't. Too cold in the water, too many times of scary-death vibes on long, solitary swims chasing lost mat or paipo.

SJB wrote:...and yes I consider Santa Barbara to be Central Coast.

No.

Being born and raised and having lived my entire life in Northern California we always considered anything Malibu or the canyons south to be Southern California. Central California ended at Monterey. Monterey and north is Northern California.

jbw4600 wrote:Being born and raised and having lived my entire life in Northern California we always considered anything Malibu or the canyons south to be Southern California. Central California ended at Monterey. Monterey and north is Northern California.

The Central Coast starts at Point Conception anything south of there is Southern California. The North Coast starts at the Golden Gate although having hitch-hiked with my bellyboard from Berkeley to Stinson Beach (and back) on several occasions in 1971 I personally consider Marin County to be in la-la land, full of people with too much money and way too little brains.

PS - Kauai is the best island. Great surf year round and not so crowded as Oahu.

This geographical argument about the Central Coast is an old one.

Here is just one of many articles that back up this Santa Barbaraian's contention.

http://california-vineyards.com/pdfs/Ce ... _Sheet.pdf

You doubters.....and you know who you are.......are WRONG WRONG WRONG?

SJB,

We have already proven that you ca not read

SJB wrote:This geographical argument about the Central Coast is an old one.

Here is just one of many articles that back up this Santa Barbaraian's contention.

http://california-vineyards.com/pdfs/Ce ... _Sheet.pdf

Marketing hype by some wine industry advertising droids doesn't mean jack. We're talking about surf and oceanography not wine. Point Conception is the key despite Santa Barbara's status anxieties and desperate attempts to separate itself from any association with Los Angeles by any means possible.

Sticks and stones will break my bones but......

Sigh.....bunch of Oregon light weight Pinot drinkers.

As for Spudnut......I better not see you North of the County Line Potato Head.

SJB wrote: Sigh.....bunch of Oregon light weight Pinot drinkers.

Not so. I prefer Northern California wine, most often Marietta Vineyard's Old Vine Red and sparkling wine from the Alexander Valley.