Dusty Payne, Makua Rothman and a host of other shredders dominate Backdoor, Pipe and Off the Wall.

Dusty Payne dominated Backdoor despite the hordes. Photo Ben Bugden

After a few down days marred by rain and small waves, the North Shore awoke this morning refreshed and renewed. The clouds had parted and the guttural rumbles of a new swell filling in drifted into bedrooms along the seven-mile stretch.

Owen Wright snuck a few close to shore. Photo Ben Bugden

With only a small swell running for the last three days, Rocky Point had been the go to spot for most, but with sets now averaging a solid six feet, the focus shifted back to the big three – Pipe, Backdoor and Off the Wall.

Garret Parkes somehow managed to snag a couple of bombs at Backdoor. Photo Ben Bugden

As is the case with most new swells however, Mother Nature needed to do some organising before the waves would be clean enough to reach their potential, and after an early surf to wash the dust off, the majority of crew called an early lunch while they waited for conditions to clean up. An hour or so later, while sitting at Pupukea Grill, enjoying a Spicy Tuna Bowl and trying to work out which of the houses set high on the escarpment was Elvis’ notorious North Shore crib, a set of flags high on the cliff indicated a stiff offshore wind had set in. Game on.

Keala Kennelly post sickenening Teahupoo fin-chop. Photo Ben Bugden

Back on the sand an ant like trail of surfers emptied out of the beachfront team houses headed for Off the Wall. The waves, now nicely groomed by the offshore, offered the odd bomb, but were still quite straight with only a small percentage showing exit signs, with the rest closing out over the skin hungry reef. Some surfers ran to the ocean in glee, as a man lost in the desert might run to an oasis, ready to hit the lineup in the hope of locking into a gem, while others slowly trudged down the sand, their legs seemingly made of concrete, before milling on the waters edge as they resigned themselves to the fact of what they had to do in the hope of nailing a shot.

Ohhhh, Ahhhhh. Photo Ben Bugden

All in all however, it was a good days surfing, and by all reports only a prelude to what we can expect tomorrow, with the swell expected to rise again throughout the night. We very well may see our first proper waves since the first two days of the Pipe Masters and the first chance for those who weren’t in the draw to have a proper go at it – an exciting prospect. Stay tuned.