Author Topic: Maui Surf  (Read 3802 times)

PonoBill

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Maui Surf
« on: November 25, 2012, 11:42:18 AM »
Had a nice surprise session yesterday at Kanaha. Surfline was calling for 1 to 4 feet from two swell systems that weren't well focused on Hawaii. Someone must have sharpened the focus. When I showed up at the beach there were some sets that were well overhead. Typical long period stuff--popping up out of nowhere on occasion.

Lower Kanaha is VERY user friendly, but the first wave I took off on after getting out pounded the living snot out of me. I went left from the middle of the lineup, but the wave jacked and I was dropping down a cliff. I tried to turn on the face to avoid being a lawn dart, but my board rolled under my feet and I went face first into the pit. Then a trainload of water fell on me. I'm just getting back to surfing regularly so I tensed up too much and got a bunch of pulled muscles as a reward. Felt sore and weak for the rest of the session.

Fortunately it pitched me early so I still had breath. I'm back to my bad old trick of holding my breath while I ride a wave, so if I fall in near the end of a ride I have nothing.

Some of the sets were endless, if you took off on an early wave you'd have a real battle getting back out.

Good session though. I caught a lot of waves. There was a crowd, but there were plenty of waves, and moving inside a little gave me all the rides I wanted. Boyum has figured out the Kalama board, he was looking good on it all morning. I'm leaving it with him until his new board is done, I'm having fun with my old Footie for the time being.

I'm going to skip it today though. The contractors are coming tomorrow to rip out all the water damage at the house. I've made a dozen dump runs and still have a lot of stuff to move. Amazing how much pure junk you accumulate in 14 years of living at a place. What crap! The house will be much nicer when we're done and everything is simplified down to just the tings we want or need.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

Fark

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Re: Maui Surf
« Reply #1 on: November 25, 2012, 01:29:38 PM »
Glad you got some waves.  I'm guilty of holding my breath at times, so I know how it goes.

Keiki O

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Re: Maui Surf
« Reply #2 on: November 25, 2012, 03:46:20 PM »
Same here with holding my breath. A friend finally taught me to breathe out on the bottom turn and in on the top turn. It took a while, but now its just part of the motion of surfing.

PonoBill

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Re: Maui Surf
« Reply #3 on: November 30, 2012, 10:12:09 PM »
Rough morning. I had to walk down to the beach three times to convince myself to go. 8-10 feet straight north swell. That's really a good size if the angle is right, but straight in it's walls and closeouts. Boyum showed up and we went out through the channel at the Portuguese Triangle. Strange currents--like a river rapid. The sets were deep and tossing with a huge thump right at the top of the reef. No shoulders. So we went down to far surfer's right and took a look. More doable, though the closeouts were still pretty extreme. I got a couple of nice rides, but not much for style--a big drop, one turn, and then run for your life.

I got tagged inside coming back out after my third wave and got a serious leash ride and spin cycle. Came up out of breath and a little nervous. Caught another wave, headed back out and got nailed but good. this time the leash pulled off my calf and I was left bobbing in the impact zone. I started to swim for the board, but a big set wave got me and it, and the board went spinning away, and away, and away.

I should have just swum to the lagoon and gone for the board, but I was feeling winded, so I swam out to see if I could get a ride in from Bill. While we were screwing around figuring that out we both got caught inside. We both had a hold on the leash and the combined drag pulled the leash rope through the tail of the new Kalama board. A guy dragged my board back out, Bill took it, I paddled the Kalama board and headed in so it wouldn't pick up too much water.

I told Bill he could stay out on my Foote, but I was pretty much done. We both quit and I headed home to grind out the cut and let the board drain. It's a minor thing,

I was a little irritated with myself for feeling so wimpy, but I do need to work up to these challenging days. By the end of the winter I'll be out in tougher days, wondering what I was such a sissy about.

Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

covesurfer

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Re: Maui Surf
« Reply #4 on: November 30, 2012, 11:08:39 PM »
Meanwhile, on the south side...another nearly flat morning with an occasional rideable two foot set rolling through until about 9. Surfed the 7 to 830 sesh, it got flatter so paddled south a mile and a half or so and then back. Had a nice paddle, had a large turtle go right under my board and saw a three foot spotted ray. Paddled back and went in for breakfast. Went back to check the water about 11, and heard about the shark attack off N Kihei and that they had closed the beaches all along north and central Kihei. That was it for today's water time. How's that for contrast just 15 miles away!?

lucabrasi

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Re: Maui Surf
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2012, 11:26:33 PM »
Rough morning.
That's a good one. Holy cow.

\ By the end of the winter I'll be out in tougher days, wondering what I was such a sissy about.
Funny how that works.

Meanwhile, on the south side...
That was it for today's water time. How's that for contrast just 15 miles away!?
Not bad.
« Last Edit: November 30, 2012, 11:52:43 PM by lucabrasi »

headmount

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Re: Maui Surf
« Reply #6 on: December 01, 2012, 12:18:36 AM »
I heard there was a great session at outside Sprecks with Phothog Darrel Wong taking pics.  Apparently Loch Eggers got the wave of the day on a SUB.  Light was weird with high cirrus but I bet Darrel gets some outrageous pics for the mags.

There's not so much channel at outside Sprecks on these north swells and I think it's amazing that stand ups are challenging the spot.    

I'm looking forward to a swell reduction tomorrow.  It was much too big for lowers today and you had to eat the sets to get a crack at the in-betweeners.  Getting worked in big waves on a SUB is no fun.

The beating will continue until... you know the drill

Today was big but not Peahi big.

surfinJ

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Re: Maui Surf
« Reply #7 on: December 01, 2012, 02:53:31 AM »
Yes, the winter swells have returned.  A few weeks ago had a similar
experience on the first one.  My off season training program never really
happened but now was the time to go.  Overcame the butterflies, made it
outside, caught a medium one, ok now I'm ready.  Got distracted by the
crowd and got caught under a bigger set. The full tour, rag dolled over the
reef all the way to the inside.  Some nervous gulping for air moments and
general feeling of failure and doubt.  Stayed out for another three hours,
carefully stayed out of trouble.  Every year bit of the same, in the end ok.

maui wave warrior

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Re: Maui Surf
« Reply #8 on: December 01, 2012, 08:16:32 PM »
Out side break at the W golf course was all time the past 3 days. Double OH + at times and only two of us out. Its one of the best big wave spots on a N swell. Really spoiled over here. Loving life on Maui.

PonoBill

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Re: Maui Surf
« Reply #9 on: December 01, 2012, 08:23:33 PM »
Redemption

A near perfect day. Surfline said 7 to 10, looked about right to me. Wave after wave. I put a 5.5 in the center box of the Footie and it likes it a lot. Lets me slide the tail when I want to, and it feels great. I moved to the inside for most of the morning, catching the medium sized ones since the big ones were closing out with an authoritative thump. Long, long rides to the right. The board was great. got some big floaters and some of those fun bottom turns that compress your legs.

As the morning progressed I noticed Bill Foote was getting some great rides, so I started hanging our with him on the outside. Got a lot of very good rides with lots and lots of turns and fandangles. Then I ran out of steam so I went in. I bought some floor mats for the jeep, got a chicken and a couple cans of coconut water at Whole foods. Ate that, and thought WTF? No wind, big swell, what am I doing on land. so I went back out for an afternoon session, and it was just as good.

What a nice day. I got pounded a couple of times, but I'm already in the relax and laugh it off stage. what a difference a day makes.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

PonoBill

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Re: Maui Surf
« Reply #10 on: December 05, 2012, 08:21:37 PM »
Holy crap, the weather sucks. I've never seen Maui like this in thirty years of coming here. Hot, humid, Kona wind, and thick haze. Not much swell either. Geez, I feel sorry for anyone visiting.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

headmount

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Re: Maui Surf
« Reply #11 on: December 08, 2012, 08:22:25 PM »
Hey if you were from Wisconsin you'd be whistling Dixie.  If you were from Hood River you's think this was great.  Oh that's right....

Today PBill and I paddled up the coast on an inky glassy ocean.  If you focused on the surface too long, you'd get vertigo.  Up and back to our trucks was about 10 miles or so.  He let me use his V2 Bullet which I enjoyed very much.  Smooth and stable and seemingly faster on the flat than my old V1 Bullet.  Whatever the case was, I could barely stand on my board on the way back.  You get spoiled quickly.

When we got back, the wind came up real good in the afternoon but we were too tapped from the grunt paddle to do a downwinder.  

 


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