Surfing Waves

Hi. Can I please get some advice for an aussie guy! I want to come to Hawaii/ Big Island or Kauai for 10 days in July. I want to surf (I'm intermediate level) and rent a car or minivan to get to some decent spots.

From what I have read so far the big island and kauai there is some surfing on the south and west side and I can rent a car there.

I'm thinking to avoid Oahu because it will be too crowded at this time of year and avoid Maui because there is not much surf in July (even on the South side).

Can you please let me know if any of this is not correct and if you'd recommend Big Island or Kauai. I'd be very grateful for any advice!

just a thought about the Big Island, which I love. There is a severe natural disaster occurring there at present. Things may not be back to normal by end of July. Consider saving the Big Island for a future trip.

shibbym wrote: I want to come to Hawaii/ Big Island or Kauai for 10 days in July. I want to surf (I'm intermediate level)
I'm thinking to avoid Oahu because it will be too crowded at this time of year

1) Where is your home break and what type of board to your ride ?
2) If you can't handle crowds on Oahu, how are you going to deal with "locals" on the outer islands if you happen to be "one Haole" from out of town ?
3) Are you intermediate Hawaiian level or Mainland level ?

Big Island
Breaks on the SE are definitely closed. Honolii is in Hilo and is considered a beginner spot at the mouth of a river. West side has a few good breaks but I don’t a chance to make it over to that side of the island too often. I was today and brahh was it knarly looking. More vog than I’ve ever seen on that side. Coming down saddle rd usually you can see breaks from Kona up towards Kohala with Maui in the distance. Today I made a work related trip and couldn’t even see the ocean.


Now if you want to come see lava, don’t. Only local traffic allowed. You have to surrender your Local I’d at the police/national guard checkpoint but they return it to you when you drive back thru. You can imagine the reason behind that one. You’ll get a much better view from tv since your not local. OMS can advise you about the surf scene on Kauai

This is good & useful info from PunaTuna. He mentions Saddle Road. Many, if not all, rental car (hire auto) contracts do not allow you to drive the car on this road because of the hazards there. This contract requirement has existes for decades and is not related to the present natural disaster. Also on Big Island, hotels, groceries, and other consumer resources are not as available as normal because the local people and emergency response teams need them.

Maybe Ol'Man will weigh in about whether there are intermediate breaks on Kauai. Or, maybe beginner breaks. Waiki asked if you are intermediate main land or Island. This does make a difference.

Things have changed a lot on Kauai since the last time I surfed on the south or west side or north side for that matter which was over 30 years ago. As far as I know The break PK's should be ok and maybe shipwrecks and pakalas but on Kauai as well as the Big Island the surf at any break can be experts only in some conditions. Here are some more up to date resources for you. http://www.thesurfingsite.com/Surf-Spots-Kauai.html https://www.wannasurf.com/spot/North_America/USA/Hawaii/Kauai/ Perhaps a good idea is to call local surf shops before you go out to see what they recommend on those specific days. There is sometime some huge surf on the south shores during the summer. But there can be good surf for intermediates all over the island any time of the year. My current surfing situation is quite different from everyone else because I am so busy I don't have time to go look for surf or even to drive far for surf. Fortunately there is lots of surf in a 5 minute drive from my house. When I graduated from college my life was pretty busy and I stuck to the east side. Now I am even more busy and just go to the nearest beach from my house. The beach I go to has breaks that go from beginner to expert and some days it is experts only at the whole beach and some days it is beginners only at the same beach however I still go out because I lack time to go look for a better break and I need my exercise. However this makes me not too knowledgeable about the local surf scene. I know a lot about the beach I go to but that's it.

This means that some days I go out when it is experts only but I am an intermediate surfer so I will be the doofus who can handle the conditions but not the best surfer out. So contacting a local surf shop every day might be good. If you are renting surfboards then who ever you rent from will likely be willing to give you a daily surf report.

Either way expert or beginner conditions people wonder what is the crazy old man doing out there? My answer is getting my exercise. Anyway sorry that I am not the wealth of information for my island but I am too busy

billie_morini wrote:This is good & useful info from PunaTuna. He mentions Saddle Road. Many, if not all, rental car (hire auto) contracts do not allow you to drive the car on this road because of the hazards there. This contract requirement has existes for decades and is not related to the present natural disaster.

Hi Billie. When was the last time you were on the big island? There is no more restrictions for saddle as far as I know anymore. After several years, they have finally completed the paving project. The entire length is brand new. No more dodging goats and pigs and donkeys for the most part lol, as well as well as encountering one lane sections indiscriminately placed here and there, as well as the unpaved parts. My first trip here back in the day on my honeymoon left us wondering at times if we would make it back alive to our hotel. For anyone that’s been here a while, it will always be known as Saddle Rd. They have since renamed it the Senator Daniel K. Inouye Hwy.

Thank you, PunaTuna. It's been a good while now since I worked in HI. Maybe JAN 2004. On this mission, work and pleasure occurred on Oahu, Big Island, and Maui. Your description of Saddle Road reminded me about the firsf time I saw it. That was in my first work adventure in the State of Hawaii in 1988. i worked for long periods on Big Island, Kauai, Maui, and Oahu then and returned many times between then and 2004. It's fair to say Mrs. Morini and I hold Hawaii dear in our hearts.

So very true, the big island will hold a special place in my heart as well. Yesterday a small group of 200 people were afforded a special pass to enjoy the beach and is/was good until Hwy 132 gets interrupted by lava. Getting a session in after not being able to in almost a month was the best news ever! Sadly less than 24 hrs later, 6:45am this morning civil defense has announced the closure of Hwy 132 as lava was only a couple hundred yards from crossing. This double edge sword also means this flow is now closer to my house and I fear it is now time to start packing. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing and we have all been on edge since May 3. The authorities only let the public know what they think is important at the time. They know more than what they lead on with. This special pass I got yesterday wasn’t even advertised in anyway and would have missed out on it if it wasn’t for my surfing buddy calling me up while he was standing in line. The civil defense administrator said yesterday this pass is all pau once lava crosses the Hwy. what about the whole last month? When lava was nowhere near the Hwy? The administration and police do not live down here. Sorry for the rant but these officials really don’t have a clue. I understand they haven’t had an eruption like this since 1960, so they are inexperienced as for what to do and are only playing it too safe. But for the people who live down here it’s frustrating to say the least.

PunaTuna, we love the Big Island because it is where the old Hawaiian spirit can be found. Your story about going to the beach is interesting, as well as a little harrowing. It brings to mind something I love the Hawaiian people for. Specifically, I love their love for the sea.

Now the lava is closer to your home. This is nerve wracking. We had challenges last year with massive wild fire that forced evacuations and closed most roads out. My teenage niece did not grasp the seriousness until our neighborhood filled with dark brown smoke.

At this point, there's been more lava flowing, more quakes, more cracks, and more bad air. This surely needs to stop for the sake of our bruddahs & sisters.

Things don’t look very promising from my perspective. Just snapped this pic a couple minutes ago. For perspective that is my living room lights shining thru windows on right

Volcanoes and lava are very unpredictable. No one knows what they are going to do. The officials are stuck with watching and trying to figure out worse case scenarios. However for a surf trip the Puna area is out but the whole rest of the island is still fine.

PunaTuna wrote:Things don’t look very promising from my perspective. Just snapped this pic a couple minutes ago. For perspective that is my living room lights shining thru windows on right

Oh my, PunaTuna! Your photo is ominous. Today's broadcast news wasn't good, either.

Wow Puna, what to say, slow moving torture moving towards you, stay safe, hope the flow slides elsewhere!

yeah, good luck and hope it just provides you with some good photos and nothing else

A map shows the mandatory evacuation area covering a portion of the Leilani Estates development on Hawaii's Big Island. (Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency). Evacuation is mandatory. If you do not go, then you will be arrested. (We had a similar thing in Santa Barbara with the floods and mud slides that followed the massive Thomas Fire. The Thomas Fire is the one that threatened us and just today the US Forest Service reported the fire is finally and officially out.) Praying for all the good kanaka on the Big Island!

PunaTuna wrote:

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Things don’t look very promising from my perspective. Just snapped this pic a couple minutes ago. For perspective that is my living room lights shining thru windows on right

Wow! Stay safe. Remember what the federal response to Puerto Rico's hurricane disaster was like and plan accordingly. In other words, have a plan for the worst case scenario, but hope for the best outcome. Good luck.

Back in January when billie' area was expecting mud slide/flash flood, the officials couldn't accurately estimate the area of potential damage without enough historical data. Unfortunately, between that and some who had ignored the evacuation order, there were quite a few fatalities and many stranded survivors. This is mere 6 weeks after the massive wildfire that forced many residents to evacuate. Stay safe!!!