Fo(rty) to fi(fty)

[PonoBill]

Scored today. I think everyone that looked at Kanaha in the early morning blew it off. Windy closeouts with a lot of junk mixed in. I got there at the crack of 9:00 and found dying wind and plenty of nice clean waves with very few people out. I counted 13 people when I got to the lineup, which would be a lot in some places but at a huge break like Kanaha it's empty. Pretty much went for anything I wanted. The waves were a bit tricky to get into, not sure why. Might have been the intermediate tide or the wanky current. I finally just positioned myself in each one I went for so it was about to fall on my head--that was about perfect for one-stroke and off. Made for a few beatings, but for the most part it worked well.

Mostly it was weird, punchy waves, about head to slightly overhead, and lots of them. Occasional surprise bigger sets that came out of nowhere and mowed the lineup. I managed to get one of those using my lazy guy late drop plan, and it worked nicely. Had to take it left because it was sectioning wide on the right, but it was a fun ride on a clean wave.

Good morning. Sometimes it pays to sleep in, and then just go even if it looks a little iffy.
http://surf.traceup.com/stats/u?uId=553936&vId=11850

[PonoBill]

Forgot to mention the beautiful 3 to 4 foot grey reef shark that shared a wave with Scott Trudon this morning. It travelled across the wave in the opposite direction. In the face of the wave it looked like it was green, blue and silver. Would have made an incredible picture. Scott said he didn't see it. Too bad, very cool. Must have been his aumakua.

[headmount]

we've been getting some N swells during this month.  Kai Lenny at Peahi while the rest of us minor leaguers go to lesser spots. 

 Many times it's all or nothing around here and when it's all, my legs start shaking.

[PonoBill]

Been a lot of that going around. Even at mellow Kanaha last week I was way on the outside trying to pick a clean one that wouldn't kill me and I got a little panic attack. Basically a little squirt of "What the F^%k am I doing here?!?"  Then I calmed down, took one, and got the living shit beaten out of me.

[PonoBill]

I stood on the beach for twenty minutes looking at Lower Kanaha this morning. Every time I convinced myself it was just fine, a really weird closeout wave would hit, that looked to be, I don't know...  ... twenty feet? Thirty feet? No idea. It looked like a doubled up wave that was breaking from both ends towards the middle.

A really good SUP surfer I know paddled in. I'd seen him get a couple of very nice waves. I said "how is it." He gave me a very serious look and said "It's f*&^g dangerous. If you're in the lineup when one of those crazy closeouts come, there's nothing you can do. they're huge."

Okay, good enough. Off to the harbor.

Anyone else try it?

[dpmaui]

You didn't miss much Bill, just alot of dirty lickens. The sets were breaking sometimes 30 yards outside of the previous set. I kept going inside to get a medium one that had shape and kept getting picked off. The rip was like a river coming around the lefts. Hard to be in the right spot for the sets, that didn't really line up that great anyway.

[covesurfer]

I drove all the way to S Turns. Some beautiful waves but maybe it was the long period that made for shifty peaks and waves that looked like they'd break, only to roll through. There was some size to the sets, definitely well OH. I hit 000's on the way up and on the way back just so I wouldn't dry out too much. It was small, but if you were really patient and went way outside, there were some shoulder high waves. The wait was long and they were only good for maybe two, sometimes three (if you were quick) turns before they'd close. JR posted a picture, looked like Pier 1 or maybe a little east of there, and it looked beautiful. But, for me, it would have been beatings and near drownings. Wind has laid down and thinking of evening harbor sesh but I don't think I'll be able to make that work....

[PonoBill]

I looked at Pier One--looked like death and destruction. I don't know why this swell was so nasty. I couldn't see anything wrong with it at Ho'okipa other than size. That break at Turtle Cove looked gorgeous, but Kanaha was ugly. Might be good now. Could be great in the morning, but there's big stuff coming in the afternoon.

Regional forecast for North Shore is 28 to 36' on Thursday. That precursor swell is gonna be murder.

[headmount]

Swell tapered off quickly from early morning.  Pier one was perfect.

[PonoBill]

Looks like the estimate for Thursday is being increased from 36' to "Big Assed". Some forecasters are suggesting it's more like "Holy fukowitz" size.

[covesurfer]

Finally, you can use your rhino chaser. Don't forget to put the Gopro on it!

[PonoBill]

I got a few nice waves at Kanaha this morning, but it was weird. No middle-sized waves. Just weenie ones and big assed ones. Some were rideable, some were just out to get you.

I took this after I paddled in:



Loch was rushing to get out, he said he wanted to get a few waves before it got to twenty feet. I think he was too late. This isw his camera mount rig. No. loch hasn't put on 40 pounds. He's wearing float. Good boy.



Here's a wave I got early in the session. It's a trace edit plus the bit at the beinning that trace leaves out. I need to figure out how to fix this. If I had access to the code it would be easy. Find the place Trace wants to start, then back up ten seconds.

[PonoBill]

After I left Kanaha I met up with Boyum and we had a good session at S-Turns. there was some good energy making its way in:


http://surf.traceup.com/stats/u?uId=553936&vId=12266

[PonoBill]

Ow. I can't move my arms.