It’s known as the mecca of surfing, but it’s a tough place to get your head around, as well as get you wave count up. Here are a few tips on doing just that.
When you think of the North Shore of Oahu, all the glamour spots come to mind. Haleiwa, Waimea, Off The Wall, Backdoor, Pipe, Gas Chambers and Sunset are the first names that come to mind, along with Laniakea, Alligators, Kammies.
These are the spots that the North Shore is renowned for, along with a few others that really get good on their respective days. It’s hard for an average surfer to get waves at any of those spots, and it’s quite hard for a good surfer to get waves at most of those spots.
The other good little surf spots are a drive away, west of Haleiwa, and sometimes if you’re just staying on the North Shore it’s not even worth the drive.
There is a little zone however, hidden around the corner, that can keep you entertained for hours on end with all sorts of thrills and spills.
To the east of Sunset is Backyards. Primarily a right-hander, Backyards is fast and shallow, with the right running towards the North Peaks of Sunset. It rarely gets crowded, and there are scattered peaks with lefts and rights on broken swell days. Better when small, the Backyards zone often gets massive and unruly with any sort of swell push, and it then becomes dominated by kiteboarders and tow surfers, as it becomes harder for paddle surfers to maintain.
Around the corner from Backyards, heading east is the left reform wave known as Freddyland. It breaks across the channel from Velzyland, but it doesn't get crowded, it doesn't get good, and it fades before eventually closing out. Still, it is a spot where you can go out and catch 20 waves quickly, most of them whitewater takeoffs, and do a few turns as the lefts spiral off towards the Velzyland channel and the glaring local surfers. One of the most unintimidating waves on the North Shore, but a place where you can get your wave count up quickly.
If you need something more than soft reform lefts however, then keep on paddling out to sea from Freddyland, and you’ll end up at a big wave outer reef known as Phantoms.
Phantom Reef is a big wave spot that doesn't have the same aura and vibe as the other big wave spots around the North Shore. It is a big, open peak with solid lefts and rights, and it is possible to paddle to it from the beach. Jamie Sterling is a regular out there, and loves to paddle into a few big lefts in the early morning. Don't make the mistake however of thinking that it is a more mellow surf spot than most. A 20-foot wave on the North Shore is just that – a 20-foot wave, and it is not something to be messed with.
If you’ve had enough of chasing the big stuff and getting your North Shore badges, it might be time to head back inside to the perfect barrels of Velzyland. Chances are that you won’t get any waves out there whatsoever, as glaring Hawaiians and their kids take every single wave of every single set all day, every day. There is a little secret however. You can surf the lefts off the V-Land peak. No one surfs the lefts, and if you were to compare them to the waves you surf back home, it is a very good wave that barrels and reels. The only danger here is riding a long left and then getting caught inside, as that side of the reef is shallow and gnarly and you will get grated if you get caught inside. The thing is, getting grated over the reef on a 6-foot day is still way better than going across to the right and having to deal with Kala Alexander. Having that happen will totally, and utterly, fuck up your holiday in paradise.
'Black Friday' Banzai Pipeline from Owen Milne Media on Vimeo.
