Can we talk about HAWAIIAN BIG WAVE SURFERS?

gbg

Miki Dora status
Jan 22, 2006
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Can an avg joe mainlander get waves out at Makaha?
I surfed there a few years ago. It was 2X OH. I was walking to paddle out and the lifeguard stopped me and told me this might be out of your league.

I had a 6'10 pin tail and was in good shape. I assured him I regularly surf places on NS that size. He said ok. I was able to get 2 waves but the place is overrun with SUP and longboards. Crowd was friendly enough. I would only surf there again if I was desperate.
 

teeroi

Miki Dora status
Oct 21, 2007
5,107
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eastside oahu
These kinds of threads always sends up a red flag for me. A lot of them turn into Hawaii and Hawaiian bashing.

Heres a link to the Eddie invitees.


There’s a few invited that have Hawaiian blood.
 

VonMeister

Duke status
Apr 26, 2013
20,251
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JOE BIDENS RAPE FINGER
Better waves than I'm getting in pismo fvcking beach.
You have a slightly better chance of getting a wave then you do of keeping whatever you left in your rental car.

On a fun weekend day you could perhaps get a few but the youngsters are going to give you a hard time. When it's good....not even scraps. I love the Westside but you'd be better off hitting Green Lanterns early or battle with the crowds at Tracks than try and get waves at Makaha. .....or try the rec center.

The westside isn't a good North Shore alternative. First its a fuckingDrive but there's also plenty of spots between Kaena Point and Haleiwa that give a break from the crowds and are more manageable when the rest of the North Shore is flexing.
 

bluemarlin04

Michael Peterson status
Aug 13, 2015
2,565
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Tracks is a nightmare to surf when it’s crowded. It is a fun wave though. And if you got a big board can sit to the sides
 

PPK96754

Miki Dora status
Apr 15, 2015
4,683
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Kauai's north shore ~
Tracks used to be a fun little wave until the Power plant got built there and then the crowds started. Butch VanArtsdalen and myself use to stay at one of the "long houses" with Freddy Hemmings, Gary Veech, Johnny Clark and some other Punahou kids that had the key's to the place. Stanley Savage use to rock that place up, along with Jack "gonzi" Gonzales who had one of the best backside styles at Ala Moana. When Tracks was showing good form, there was no need to go to Maile or Makaha. "Tracks" was the place. And btw, "tracks" was named because of the railroad tracks that ran parallel to the two lane road and just behind the two houses. The "tracks ran around Kaena Point from the Waialua Sugar Plantation past Makaha, Waianae and Nanakuli and on to the Ewa Sugar Plantation and then to Honolulu Harbor for shipping.
 

oneula

Miki Dora status
Jun 3, 2004
4,363
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as you pass tracks and drive up to nanakuli there's a little cove and then a bunch of homes on the point. That's my family's homestead. The park from the telecom tower northward was cleared by my grandpa and they lived there until they got kicked out by the state. Remainders of the Kaha'aina family still live on that point where my grandma's youngest sister settled for here entire life. Her father and mother had moved out settled in Lualualei in the late 1800s early 1900s after he lost his job with the Royal Guard when the Queen was overthrown. They used to catch that train to town after riding a donkey to the station. If the state maintained the tracks, they could have had their own amtrak-style light rail line in place of the above ground monster they are building. It's just a tourist thing now here and on maui.

Tracks breaks on some shallow reef and can be a little sketchy at size. Of all the breaks on that side other than surfing makaha back in the day on weekdays without any crowds would be green lanterns without any crowds. Had some all time days there in the 70's and later in the early 90's.

I still have lots of family on the west side, its probably one of the few places other than waimanalo and palolo with the most hawaiians on Oahu. I grew up surfing with the likes of bird, allan-wrench, rell and anela. And I was fortunate to still share the lineup with uncle buff, uncle grant and kimo hollinger (in his speedos) every now and then after returning home from Seattle in the 90's. Grant was the best, smoking pakalolo with the boys before paddling out and surfing well into his 70's always with his uncle grant takeoff style. There's only three places where sitting in the lineup and looking towards shore makes you appreciate the beauty of hawaii and that used to be makaha, the northshore and hanalei.
 

sponge

Tom Curren status
Feb 10, 2002
13,165
10,549
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Honolulu, HI, USA
Visit site
as you pass tracks and drive up to nanakuli there's a little cove and then a bunch of homes on the point. That's my family's homestead. The park from the telecom tower northward was cleared by my grandpa and they lived there until they got kicked out by the state. Remainders of the Kaha'aina family still live on that point where my grandma's youngest sister settled for here entire life...
The cove.

Dropknee_1991_unknown_Keaulanas_neofoto.jpg
 

teeroi

Miki Dora status
Oct 21, 2007
5,107
9,269
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eastside oahu
When I took Hawaiian studies in high school the teacher taught us that Hawaiians were treated like the Native Americans. A lot of the population was forced out of the desired living and resource rich areas to the outskirts and to usually dry, desert-like places. Oahu’s Makaha on the Westside and Waimanalo.on the Eastside. The tips of the island, among other places. This class was a long time ago so I probably got it wrong but Hawaiians were never afforded the same rights as Native Americans, hence no casinos here.

Oahu’s Westside has great waves but I always viewed it as a whole separate country on Oahu. Like an Indian reservation. I usually don’t surf that side unless I’m invited or going to meet up with someone from there.

No matter your political views or interpretation of history Hawaiians have had a lot taken from them. If you’re not Hawaiian tread lightly in Waimanalo and on the Westside.