Honolua Bay, pulsing in paradise - video
A large El Nino swell slams into Maui's Honolua Bay and a large local and pro surfer crowd was on hand to capitalize. Video courtesy Korduroy.tv.
A large El Nino swell slams into Maui's Honolua Bay and a large local and pro surfer crowd was on hand to capitalize. Video courtesy Korduroy.tv.
Comments
God I'd love to surf that spot one day, right near the top of my list
some quality burns right there!
How's that big over the falls at 2.57 - classic!
Seemed to be missing a few pricks doing jetski step offs out the back
Wonder how that would be received over there?
Send over the Mad Huey's to find out hehe
What an interesting study that would be.
At the same time, another interesting study would be to find out how many people complain about jetskis and the like but never do anything about it. I hate the fuckers but I've never made a formal complaint to the Gold Coast powers-that-be. Another place, yes, but not the Gold Coast.
So many good clips of great waves lately. But .. but .. the crowds. The crowds are off the charts. I ended up getting so frustrated and unsatisfied in perfect waves.
I grew up surfing heavy crowds but now ... it is off the hook.
I literally had more fun during a session in Sweden (yes, Sweden) recently over a shallow reef with little runners - with head dips / freezing water - than some sessions in Indonesia and on the Gold Coast in pumping surf.
I've gone a bit odd in the head when it comes to surfing because of the crowds now. Or are they the voices in my head?
Either way: crowds!
Ain't crowds everywhere Clif. Sure, it's busy at the name breaks, but there are always empty waves off the beaten track. I have no problems sacrificing surf quality for a higher wave count and a lot less stress.
Absolutely Ben. There were pumping uncrowded waves around over the past week or two. Why butt heads with the pack when you can get more waves and have a better all-round surf just by sacrificing a bit of quality.
Well Said.
You're right, crowds aren't yet everywhere. But they will be one day. Lesser waves that were once laughed at in Indonesia now have solid crews of devotees. Surf tour companies have created thick crowds in surfing hotspots during on-seasons for decades and over the last five years have been trying to do the same in the off season.
I'm still enjoying walking through a paddock or two or going a bit further off the beaten path to get waves with fewer people, but every bastard with an iPhone and an ego is doing their best to bring in the crowds. I don't think any of us will suffer if there was a surf media blackout on spots that aren't well known, or at the very least gave us no indication of location at all. Interestingly though, I have found directly contacting people exposing spots to be positive. I emailed a new boat operator the other day who is running tours in some quiet areas and he was more than willing to remove the caption on an Instagram post that gave the exact location of a seldom surfed break.
Props to Swellnet by the way for being the good guys of the internet when it comes to secret surf spots. If only they all followed your lead!
No, actually. Crowds are not everywhere. Thank goodness.
Oh the irony. Whining about crowds on a website with truly excellent forecasting and live surfcams .....
I didn't expect the opposite but was merely observing how the crowds are more intense than ever and I wouldn't be keen to surf such. Also, I am in a place where what this Australian-based surf site does doesn't have any influence on numbers of people in the surf. Wouldn't it only be ironic if this site had an impact on the crowd numbers at the locations in the surf videos? I have no idea - nor do you - if it actually does. Any evidence is only circumstantial and conjecture. I know for a fact it has no impact on numbers of people where I surf - somewhere a long way from Australia.
I'm open to a lesson about irony though, Serge from france.
C'mon Clif "Any evidence is only circumstantial and conjecture" , mate this ain't a murder trial. This a tired old argument which I cant be bothered with. Besides, the interweb is telling me there is going to be sick waves down south for the next few days ( thanks SWELLNET!!! ) and I gotta get my SUP tied down to the Prado !!!!!!! Have a great weekend
I'll sacrifice wave quality but not too much...I ain't going to headbutt closeout beachies when the Points are pumping. I'm not going on the kiddie slopes when the black diamond runs have a foot of fresh.
But I will sacrifice wave count. If I get one or two screamers then I'm stoked, anymore is a bonus. And I'm happy to wait for them. And when one screamer is a perfect 800m Point wave with multiple tube sections, big roundhouses and heaps of turns all at top speed then that is enough to really light it up. I need twenty beachie waves to make an equivalent.
But I won't paddle out into stupid crowds like the Superbank or Broken. Thats just asking for trouble.
By and large I've surfed light to moderate/heavy crowds this Xmas/NY and everyone has been well behaved. Haven't seen any biff or even any angry words. Couple of accidental drop-ins which were apologised for and apology accepted. Seems like most got stoked and had fun.I think the sheer quantity of surf has helped, as well.
Edit: Mostly locally dominated crowds with a very high standard of surfing.....and a pretty good understanding of etiquette; what I call a high functioning, orderly crowd.
Guess what I'm saying is I'm happy to accept the fact that high quality surf is going to be a desirable commodity and share it around.
Your doing well and exactly what most of us strive for. A couple of point rides and that's makes the session.