Late season North Shore?

GromsDad

Duke status
Jan 21, 2014
54,145
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West of the Atlantic. East of the ICW.
How late into March and April can you reliably expect to get good surf on the North Shore? Doesn't have to be huge but certainly don't want to go to the time and expense of going there for anything less than overhead surf.
 
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fishtank

Gerry Lopez status
Jun 20, 2010
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better to book a trip not too far out then, 2 weeks max. you may get junk or possibly score (50/50). other sides of the island could be surfable too. coming from jersey I would say it's too far. direct flights from EWR but still at least 10 hours. could go someplace else for half the price. getting skunked is a reality of surf travel, you may miss the swell of the year by a day.
 

casa_mugrienta

Duke status
Apr 13, 2008
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Petak Island
No idea why anyone would waste their money going to HI for a surf trip. Especially from that far away.

Around $400/day for lodging/gas food.
 

mundus

Duke status
Feb 26, 2018
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Always used to go first week of March and always got surf sometimes too much.
 

fishtank

Gerry Lopez status
Jun 20, 2010
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No idea why anyone would waste their money going to HI for a surf trip. Especially from that far away.

Around $400/day for lodging/gas food.
got skunked huh? remember you posting the forecast before departing on the trip, north/ne winds :poop: can be like that for weeks on end, bummer.
 

gbg

Miki Dora status
Jan 22, 2006
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I'm pretty much done spending my own money getting to the NS in winter. Crowded. Windy. Expensive. I'll let work send me and ill pay for my Mexico trips.
 

gbg

Miki Dora status
Jan 22, 2006
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March and April were always the most fun for me.
 

casa_mugrienta

Duke status
Apr 13, 2008
43,209
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Petak Island
got skunked huh? remember you posting the forecast before departing on the trip, north/ne winds :poop: can be like that for weeks on end, bummer.
Didn't get skunked except for the first few days.

Actually going back for two weeks this winter.

I stay in the backpacker's though, and most people don't want to do that.
 

racer1

Tom Curren status
Apr 16, 2014
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Honolulu, Hawaii
Avoid University of Hawaii and local public school spring breaks and you'll have fun.

There will be waves somewhere on the island.

March would be better than April.
 

Muscles

Michael Peterson status
Jun 1, 2013
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California/Hawaii
I'm pretty much done spending my own money getting to the NS in winter. Crowded. Windy. Expensive. I'll let work send me and ill pay for my Mexico trips.
Crowded?

I sometimes surf midweek at well known spots and there's often less than 20 people total out during regular work hours. Like someone mentioned, don't go during UH/Public school breaks and you won't really fight crowds.
 

Sharkbiscuit

Duke status
Aug 6, 2003
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Jacksonville Beach
Crowded?

I sometimes surf midweek at well known spots and there's often less than 20 people total out during regular work hours. Like someone mentioned, don't go during UH/Public school breaks and you won't really fight crowds.
Spread out points/reefs with asswhoopty cleanups and currents and shifting lineups....maybe Sunset is like that...20 people is doable. Especially if half the crowd is on boats out the back trying not to get caught, and you are underneath farming double-ups that hug the rocks/reef.

But most point/reef waves, or even beaches with only one peak zone vs spread out?

20 people is I'm dropping $1k easy to fly back to Florida tomorrow, and it wouldn't be the first time.
 

casa_mugrienta

Duke status
Apr 13, 2008
43,209
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Petak Island
If I lived on the East Coast and wanted to go someplace March / April... I would be taking a shorter flight east, not west.

Greatly preferable to HI for me...points, beachbreaks, good food.
 
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racer1

Tom Curren status
Apr 16, 2014
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Drying up?

283 available on the North Shore as of this moment.

That's not dried up.

That's drenched.
That's probably 1/3 of it's peak a few years ago. Hosts cancelling short term bookings with the new laws.

We're about to hit 10M visitors annually but haven't had a record tourist spending year since 1989. We need less budget vacationers and more wealthy ones.
 
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casa_mugrienta

Duke status
Apr 13, 2008
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Petak Island
Hosts cancelling short term bookings with the new laws.
Speak of the devil.

Heard a story this PM - a buddy who was booked with his wife and grom for December.

He cancelled - AirBnB apparently gives a full refund to anyone who booked on Oahu.

Got his money back but also got a bunch of messages from the host asking him to rebook and that the AirBnB owners weren't gonna back down in the face of the new law. That the island will eventually see things their way cause tourism was gonna plummet so nothing to worry about.

He told me he googled the address and the place they rented was FOR SALE on Redfin lol!
 

Muscles

Michael Peterson status
Jun 1, 2013
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That sounds about right.

They had some lady on the news who was crying about how she can't run an illegal Airbnb at her house in Kailua anymore. It was this whole sob story of how she spent most of her retirement savings on this house and that she was providing a place full of Aloha for visitors. Of course, she was a transplant mainlander who saw nothing but dollar signs when she bought in Kailua. All I could think is let me find the world's smallest violin to play now that your plan to run an Illegal rental failed. She then went on to say that she'll just leave Oahu if the law stays in place.
 
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racer1

Tom Curren status
Apr 16, 2014
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Yeah hard to feel sympathy for anybody complaining. So, that lady will be selling her place? Inventory is already increasing.

If I was a host, I'd be worried about operating around the law. Making illegal moves gives up your leverage with guests. You want to charge them an extra cleaning fee? You want to charge them a late check out? Well, they might report you if they feel burned and don't plan on staying with you again. No accountability when you work around the law.

The hosts complaining about overall tourism plummeting are grossly overestimating their value. Tourism is 21% of our GDP (WashPost, 2017) and Airbnb rentals that don't qualify under the new law are a tiny fraction of that. When their units go off market, those visitors will just stay somewhere else (legal airbnb, hotel, etc).
 
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