Standup Zone Forum
General => Travel, Trips, Destinations => Topic started by: alap on January 10, 2010, 04:38:14 PM
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Hi guys,
I am going to Oahu in the beginning of March and I am ready to book some place.
i am thinking about this place
http://www.vrbo.com/95867 (http://www.vrbo.com/95867)
if you browse thru the pictures you will see the building and there are tons of other listings from this building.
they all say its a walking distance from the famious surfing break
here is another from the same building with the map:
http://www.vrbo.com/235388#ownerprofile (http://www.vrbo.com/235388#ownerprofile)
Questions.
1. do u know this building, if yes any comments?
2. the surfing, will it be extreme? I am SUPing for three years now, probably 150 sessions, but I really do not want extreme.. and hate overcrowded spots (kinda spoiled on vancouver island)
3. if not those breakes in hailewaa, are there are other less extreme and crowded breaks on North Shore? somebody told me about "Churns"?
4. renting a board. I want to rent something like 9'6" 30" wide or a bit less, quality board only, PSH or NAISH or Starboard? where is the best place to do so? (I am bringing my paddle with me).
any of advice will be very much appreciated.
also, if you know about any other spot at Oahu where i can rent beach front for nonsurfing wife and myself with proximity to not extreme break, advice will be so much appreciated! I just referencing those condos simply cause it come up on my search engine fairly soon.
thank you!
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I think you can rent boards in Haleiwa at SurfAndSea.
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Hi guys,
I am going to Oahu in the beginning of March and I am ready to book some place.
i am thinking about this place
http://www.vrbo.com/95867 (http://www.vrbo.com/95867)
if you browse thru the pictures you will see the building and there are tons of other listings from this building.
they all say its a walking distance from the famious surfing break
here is another from the same building with the map:
http://www.vrbo.com/235388#ownerprofile (http://www.vrbo.com/235388#ownerprofile)
Questions.
1. do u know this building, if yes any comments?
2. the surfing, will it be extreme? I am SUPing for three years now, probably 150 sessions, but I really do not want extreme.. and hate overcrowded spots (kinda spoiled on vancouver island)
3. if not those breakes in hailewaa, are there are other less extreme and crowded breaks on North Shore? somebody told me about "Churns"?
4. renting a board. I want to rent something like 9'6" 30" wide or a bit less, quality board only, PSH or NAISH or Starboard? where is the best place to do so? (I am bringing my paddle with me).
any of advice will be very much appreciated.
also, if you know about any other spot at Oahu where i can rent beach front for nonsurfing wife and myself with proximity to not extreme break, advice will be so much appreciated! I just referencing those condos simply cause it come up on my search engine fairly soon.
thank you!
don't know the places. NS, can be extreme. It can be beyond extreme, but it can also be super nice. Haleiwa is close to some nice keiki breaks that can work even when other places are extreme.
March is a weaning season, but it can be pretty much anything. I'm not sure what you mean by extreme though...
Puaena Point Beach Park
http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&rlz=1C1CHPF_enUS358US358&resnum=0&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=haleiwa+puaena+point&fb=1&gl=us&hq=puaena+point&hnear=haleiwa&cid=16602964043602696389 (http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&rlz=1C1CHPF_enUS358US358&resnum=0&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=haleiwa+puaena+point&fb=1&gl=us&hq=puaena+point&hnear=haleiwa&cid=16602964043602696389)
..but it is crowded. There are uncrowded spots, but they can be hard to find.
Yes you can rent boards in Halewa or just about anywhere on the island.
Some spots are more territorial than others. Just be humble and ask people in the line up. Don't go if you are not comfortable, and remember the current
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I'm also interested in where to rent either a SUP or a prone paddleboard, both in town (Honolulu), and on the North Shore.
Any specific shops (other than SurfAndSea)?
thanks
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Haliewa is beautiful, and that place looks great, but my 2¢ would be to forget renting a car, and stay in Waikiki. Stay near Kapiolani Park, bring a wheelie deal so you roll the board around to check out different breaks (so many to choose from) and bring a really long bike lock for it while you are out surfing (good also to secure your board, esp. if you are renting a board for a week, and keeping it in/near your hotel room). Better yet, negotiate a multi-day discount from one of the many shops or beach boys and return the board daily. That way you can try lots of boards, and not worry about storing it overnight. (A huge hassle if the place you rent cannot accommodate a big SUP board.) If you want mostly easy conditions with challenge mixed in, and daily/nightly entertainment for your non-surfing spouse, Waikiki is really the place. 8)
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Most of the hotels on Waikiki have board storage, they even had room for the Penetrator (19'!!!) at the place I stayed. If you want to hike around with a board get a mule before you leave. It fits into a bag about 2' X1' that you can lock to stuff or bury in the sand along with your slippahs.
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the place your looking at looks fine. i'd never choose to stay in waikiki, it's an extremely overcrowded area full of hotels and tourists and will have very small surf in march. the north shore has lots of mellower breaks and will be settling down in march and theres plenty of places in haleiwa to rent boards. rent a car and bring straps for the board and you'll be set.
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I don't think I'd stay in Waikiki either, though it's more fun than it looks. There are some nice breaks and they are surprisingly unpopulated sometimes given the number of tourists renting boards. Surfing at night is pretty cool--the hotels on the beach give so much light it's very do-able. I stayed out past midnight one night, wonderful.
The surprising thing to me is how incredibly beautiful Oahu is--I spent four days there last year just bumming around. I always thought Maui and Kuai were the pretty islands, Hawaii (big island) was too big and too much lava, and Oahu was just built up and ruined. Not so. As soon as you leave Honalulu Oahu is spectacular. Well worth taking a day out of the water just to drive around the island (but bring your board anyway). North Shore is just incredible. The best breaks on Maui probably wouldn't have a name on on the North Shore. Bill Foote said that first, but he's pretty much right. I know now why Oahu has so many secret spots. Everywhere you look there's a surfable break.
Have a great time, I did.
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If you stay on the Diamond Head end of Waikiki, it's very nice. I'm talking about the last hotel in town, or the few hotels isolated from the heard. You surf breaks that are not crowded, and come evening, you can walk the town and find nice dinning. Lots of free parking in the evening.
There are breaks to the right of Diamond Head not accessible to prone guys. Just a little too far to paddle for them. You won't find a crowd there either.
I surfed the north shore only one day. The other parts of the islands were more than enough fun for us.
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If you end up in Waikiki, you will be doing a lot of walking. Bring a mule or strong girlfriend for sure.
I made one (a mule, not a girlfriend) out of a fold up hand truck that came with the condo. Brought the beach chairs and a cooler on those all day beach days.
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I'm also interested in where to rent either a SUP or a prone paddleboard, both in town (Honolulu), and on the North Shore.
Any specific shops (other than SurfAndSea)?
thanks
Mik911, I think you can rent boards at Blue Planet surf shop just outside of Waikiki. Hawaiian South Shore surf shop is closer to Ala moana beach. There are a ton of other surf shops that rent.
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If you end up in Waikiki, you will be doing a lot of walking. Bring a mule or strong girlfriend for sure.
I made one (a mule, not a girlfriend) out of a fold up hand truck that came with the condo. Brought the beach chairs and a cooler on those all day beach days.
Very clever!! You could carry a girlfriend on that too.
DW, I know the breaks you mean, I had a really nice time there. Fairly uncrowded though local prone surfers paddle out from the little community in the cove above it.
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Val: yeah, I DO love it when people claim Waikiki has no surf. You're so right brah! 8)
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If you end up in Waikiki, you will be doing a lot of walking. Bring a mule or strong girlfriend for sure.
I made one (a mule, not a girlfriend) out of a fold up hand truck that came with the condo. Brought the beach chairs and a cooler on those all day beach days.
Very clever!! You could carry a girlfriend on that too.
DW, I know the breaks you mean, I had a really nice time there. Fairly uncrowded though local prone surfers paddle out from the little community in the cove above it.
PB, guess what? The strong girlfriend carried her own board. ;)
SW, what cooler? That girlfriend would have loved a cold one. And a spammy, too. :-*
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who said it has no surf. it has great surf. in the summer.
Val: yeah, I DO love it when people claim Waikiki has no surf. You're so right brah! 8)
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the surfing, will it be extreme? I am SUPing for three years now, probably 150 sessions, but I really do not want extreme..
any of advice will be very much appreciated.
also, if you know about any other spot at Oahu where i can rent beach front for nonsurfing wife and myself with proximity to not extreme break, advice will be so much appreciated!
Val, I realize the South Shore rocks in the summer, not so much the rest of the time. I recommended Waikiki to the guy, being that he was asking for our opinions on NON-extreme areas in Oahu for March (aka small rolling waves, good for beg - to intermediate SUPers)
AND he is bringing his non-surfing wife.
Waikiki in mellow March is an awesome option for a guy just like this. ;D
You mentioned that YOU would never stay in Waikiki... well different strokes. There are not too many places on earth where you can eat a decent plate of fish tacos or a steak and maybe get a good bloody Mary to go with it, and a glass of white wine, a salad bar and grilled fish for the Missus (Duke’s) and then just roll out of your hotel the next morning into a non-extreme little wave in paradise (Canoe’s, Queens) while your non-surfing wife considers AGAIN that expensive bag she's been lusting for... (Coach store, Macy’s...etc, etc, etc...)
I realize your EXTREME desires would never be satisfied by any sweet little nuggets you’d find in Waikiki in March! ;-D
But someday, when you’re the age of us old boomers, and you’re dealing with creaky knees that sometimes collapse, and your wife just needs a break so that she may fall back in love with your hot-surfer-man-mojo all over again :-*; you’ll come to love the ironic beauty of a place that caters to kooks and tourism, but still somehow manages to be an awesome surf town.
Until then, be happy shredding your machismo heart out on the North Shore. 8)
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Although I've never surfed Waikiki, I'll pass along some advice from my curmudgeon buddy that always know how to get the best deal. When he goes to Oahu, he books his first couple of nights in Waikiki and then the rest of his trip is somewhere else. He says he always has jet lag when he arrives and he wakes up at 3 ot 4 AM. He gets his surfs in before anyone else wakes up and has all those great waves to himself. Then when he catches up on his sleep, he heads to his favorite secret spot.
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I had a blast when I took the superferry to Oahu last year... Stayed at the Hyatt in Waikiki - valets stored my boards for me and had them ready first thing in the morning. Walked across the street and had fun little waves... Did get super crowded at times but what fun... I had my truck so was able to drive to Alamoana Tennis Courts (think thats the name) for a nice session too. Waikiki is a hoot at night too.
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Just tossing my two cents in as well,
I'm a North Shore guy but I love town as well, I will try to break this down in a simple list:
North Shore (March)
-Laid back country atmosphere with amazing natural beauty.
-Hundreds of surf spots including some great beginner waves.
-All of the pro-bro triple crown types are gone (thank God)
-Really fun free diving/snorkeling around three tables/shark's cove if the waves are small.
-Haleiwa town is really quaint with lots of great food and places to chill.
-Easy drive around to the east side, Turtle Bay Resort/Polynesian Cultural Center.
-All around just a slower, more relaxed pace than Waiks.
Town (March)
-Possible to get some good surf, although it will most likely be pretty small.
-Hundreds of surf spots with heaps of mellow, long rolling waves.
-Heading around Diamond Head and beyond, the scenery is amazing
-Food choices are unlimited, anything you could imagine and more!
-There is awesome nightlife, but also hundreds of drunk military guys and hookers so be careful. (seriously)
-The waves can be absolutely packed...with people who don't know how to surf. Plan on early sessions or paddle to the farther breaks to get some solitude.
-All the hustle and bustle of a big city, but some people like that.
What I would recommend is to try and stay mobile and see a little bit of both worlds. If you stay in Town, cruise up here for a couple days and vice versa. Don't worry too much about it though, O'ahu is a great place and you'll have fun no matter where you stay.
Jared
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Sorry forgot one thing,
Nomatter where you stay, it's a good idea to rent or borrow bicycles to get around on. Especially for cruising around on the north shore. lots of fun, great way to take in the scenery, and I haven't got a DUI leaving Breakers yet!!
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Mahalo Jared, awesome post!
You nailed it so eloquently. The more I go, the more I wanna not come back.
Shark’s Cove is great, I free dove there last summer. In fact all of Oahu is worth visiting, and different times of year bring unique features to each area.
Haunama Bay, Makapu, Kailua, Makaha, and of course both North and South shores... all gorgeous.
Oahu is one proud, beautiful island. ;)
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Take only memories. Leave only lau lau.
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we were there for a few days before christmas this year and rented the laird boards from the place there at waikiki on the beach by the hotels. there are two public board rental places. my laird boards were totally trashed, looked like the had been run over by a truck, the pads so torn they were slippery. oh well, a very public beach with high volume tourists. the paddles were straight and very heavy and too short. classic.
if you find yourself in makaha, watch out, it's a rough area. best to go in if low crowds, maybe a small day only if you're a strong surfer. we whitnessed a collision then a fight sending people to the hospital. not pretty.
i had surf kayaked canoes by waikiki in 06' and had no problem with locals being in such a foreign craft.
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so... its all got sorted out. packaged deal - flight+accomodation. Turtle Bay Resort.
April 18th for a week. I'll take my Jerry Lopez ULI with me. And couple more questions:
1. breaks. I am looking for small uncrowded breaks. Is Turtle Bay itself possible?
2. Someone said: "hundreds uncrowded breaks". Does it mean - see the break, go surfing? if nobody surfing, perhaps its for a reason: may be there is a shallow reef? or something?
3. just couple pointers from you guys? is there a website? a map? a starting point for me?
And then the board: is there an option to get a board to try, something like PSH, or may be Naish? or I have to go to Waikiki for that?
Thanks!
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so... its all got sorted out. packaged deal - flight+accomodation. Turtle Bay Resort.
April 18th for a week. I'll take my Jerry Lopez ULI with me. And couple more questions:
1. breaks. I am looking for small uncrowded breaks. Is Turtle Bay itself possible?
2. Someone said: "hundreds uncrowded breaks". Does it mean - see the break, go surfing? if nobody surfing, perhaps its for a reason: may be there is a shallow reef? or something?
3. just couple pointers from you guys? is there a website? a map? a starting point for me?
And then the board: is there an option to get a board to try, something like PSH, or may be Naish? or I have to go to Waikiki for that?
Thanks!
When you arrive in Hawaii You have more than PSH and Naish to choose from. There are more than 50 plus shapers you can choose from locally and more than a handful of places you can demo a SUB from for the whole day. Just don't limit yourself to one place to surf and you will be open to more options to rent from.
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so... its all got sorted out. packaged deal - flight+accomodation. Turtle Bay Resort.
April 18th for a week. I'll take my Jerry Lopez ULI with me. And couple more questions:
1. breaks. I am looking for small uncrowded breaks. Is Turtle Bay itself possible?
2. Someone said: "hundreds uncrowded breaks". Does it mean - see the break, go surfing? if nobody surfing, perhaps its for a reason: may be there is a shallow reef? or something?
3. just couple pointers from you guys? is there a website? a map? a starting point for me?
And then the board: is there an option to get a board to try, something like PSH, or may be Naish? or I have to go to Waikiki for that?
Thanks!
I think you can rent PSH boards from thier shop in Waipio which is halfway to town from the north shore or you could try surf and sea in haleiwa. You could try surfing right in front of the pool at turtle bay. I always thought that would be a perfect wave for sup because it is a little slopey. There are other breaks in front of the pool area as well. Have fun and be safe.
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so just a quick update on my trip. in one word - wonderful, there is nothing else like hawaii.
originally I planned to stay at Haleiwa, particularly at Haleiwa surf condos, but had to cancel and booked a month later at Turtle Bay resort. it was a good luck - believe it or not but a packaged deal at resort turned out to be two grand cheaper than the condos (all things compared), plus it was uncomparably better (we drove by condos).
with regards to surfing... no first about waves. waves are definetely different there. each wave, even the smallest one, curls, barrels and it either right or left. channels everywhere. no beach breaks! the whole North shore is one huge surfing spot. but... you have to park on the highway pretty much. Since for me the main goal was not surfing (I hope I wont be expelled from here after this admission!) but keep wifey happy (happy wife - happy life), I surfed my 3 hours by the pool as diesel suggested. no parking, no driving, easy, and it was good enough for me.
Although the break certainly has some challenges. first of all rocky, corral bottom, stretching for quiet a distance, and it is impossible to judge the depth, if it is half a meter or three meters. The break is a on a point with resort and it is a just in front of the rocks and quiet close and it is a right one. It is not crowded at all and the vibe is good - I didn't hear a single bad word, in fact people were interested in my ULI. Because I am goofy and there was enough challenges - bottom, close to the rocks, 15-25 knots gusty offshore wind that switched to cross offshore at will, I surfed a bit to the side of the main wave, more into the bay. More difficult, but I was alone. Wind was my main enemy. In fact Turtle Bay is located almost on the windiest side of an island and it is much windier and rainier there than in the Waimea or Haleiwa.
On last day in much lighter waves and wind my leash failed and I had to swim at least half a mile sideshore - 10 knots was enough to blow my ULI, which floats good (10 foot Lopez). I am lucky it didn't failed day before with 25 knots. I wouldn't be able to retrieve the board, it would ended on the rocks.
There is another bay to the west of the Turtle bay, Kalewa bay. Its a very short drive or a very pleasant walk down the trail to the Lost tree. The entrance is much better there and I saw a Supper outside on the break, alone, about 400 meters out (but kinda still oin the bay, or rather on the border between the bay and the ocean).
thank you guys for all your advice!
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I am glad you had a good time Alap. Hawaii is very special. Even though I have lived here almost all my life I am still amazed at what we have in the islands and the people are really cool for the most part. I contemplated moving away when I was younger but the draw of the ocean was too strong and I could not leave the islands except for vacations. Turtle Bay resort is pretty sweet, eh. My wife and I liketo stay there even tough we live on the island because it feels like a great vacation when you are there. Aloha.