rushing the waves with reckless abandon. For those surfers who are being paid big bucks to give their sponsors as much name and logo-sticker exposure as possible, surfing on the North Shore also means big business. They perform for the cameras, go for the gold in contests, and try to etch their name into the annals of North Shore surfing. Then there are the local boys, a homegrown contingent of waveriders who have seen surfing fads come and go like the crowds that congest their surf spots every year. They reluctantly put up with this visiting circus, perhaps because they simply love state-of-the-art waveriding.
Signs like this on the North Shore are to be taken seriously once winter swells begin their annual migration to these mid-Pacific beaches. Photo: Brett Uprichard
One thing you'll definitely notice on the North Shore, particularly at the prime surf spots, is that anyone picking up set waves is usually surfing way above your average Joe. Imagine yourself on the beach at Ehukai on a sunny surf day, say around early December. The lineup immediately in front of you will probably be chock-full of all your heroes trying to outdo each other on every breaking wave and be the man. Think Tom Curren, Johnny Boy, the Irons brothers, Tommy Carroll, the Beschen brothers, and, if your timing is right, even Mr. Kelly Slater himself—live, in technicolor, and redefining what ripping is all about. Yes, they will all be here, along with droves of under-grounders, low profilers, upcoming amateurs, hotshot unknowns, visiting movie stars and even your common everyday surfer.
Contest time can be especially thrilling, as Hawaii is the last stop on the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) pro tour, and the final shot at world-ranking for world-title contenders. Hawaii is also an important "last chance" competition venue for surfers trying to qualify for the upcoming world tour. Performance levels are balls out because everyone is trying to get as mental and upside-down as possible to prove that they've got what it takes to rip the North Shore. Not to mention the pack of photogs, media hounds and videographers on the beach, all trying to get "the shot" as well as footage of today's, yesterday's and tomorrow's surfing stars. Contest time is often likened to an aquatic circus, given the documentarians, groupies, personalities and assorted freaks of the surfing world who descend upon on this small stretch of coast just between Kahuku and Kaena.
". . . and whatever you do, don't blow it in front of the photog (or photogs)!" Nobody misses a trick when every move is being watched by a beach-side photo-studio crew such as this one. Photo: Erik Aeder
Without a doubt, not only is Oahu's North Shore the Circus Maximus of surfing, it is also the raw essence of the surfing experience. The surfers, the surf and the vibes here are unique, unlike those anywhere else in the world. Just being at the North Shore and taking part in the scene instills in one a sense of belonging to a special tribe of people.
It's hard to describe the feeling of anticipation you're filled with as you're driving out of town on Oahu's H-2 Freeway for the very first time and heading towards the North Shore. Excitement builds with each passing road sign, along with your thoughts and expectations about the pounding surf that's just ahead.
A Place Called "Country"
The further north you drive, the more you'll notice that you're moving into "Country" domain. The highrise buildings gradually recede as you go past the Aloha Stadium and up through Mililani Town, Wahiawa and the olive drab military boys at Schofield Barracks. Eventually, near Leilehua, you will reach the blood-red dust of a Dole pineapple plantation that frames both sides of the Kamehameha Highway.
As you proceed along this razor-edged roadway, you eventually come to a hill with a wide-angle overview of the North Shore. This particular panorama has been ogled by visiting surfers for many decades, and on a day blessed with waves, you can see rolling lines of whitewater pushing over outside reefs, painting a picturesque surfer dream scene. One's heart beats against this vast open ocean backdrop set in front of lush green hills and great blue skies. This is your initial aloha to a part of Oahu known as the North Shore, or, more simply, The Country.
For logical and geographic reasons, our run through the key Country surf spots will commence at the extreme Windward side of Oahu's northern surfing grounds (in the Turtle Bay area) and then continue on downwards through the heart of the famed North Shore. Because of the reef configurations here, many proper surfing breaks on the coast often appear side by side, so identifying them can sometimes be frustrating. But with a bit of guidance, your disorientation will be easily resolved.
Dale Velzyland
The surf spot furthest north worthy of mention is a break fronting the Turtle Bay Hilton, which features a sometimes fun right-hander in the bay when winds are light or from the south.
As you hit the border of the surf-central town of Sunset Beach, you will notice a slew of identical brown townhouses lined up just off the makai (or ocean) side of the highway. This area is known as Velzyland, named after the eminent surfboard shaper Dale Velzy. The surf break Velzyland is found just in front of these unsightly cave-like dwellings. The buildings offer no indication as to what can be found in the water, though, because Velzyland, or V-land as it's commonly called, just happens to be one of the most unreal small-wave rights in the world. Waves here are generally smaller in ratio compared to the rest of the North Shore, but V-land's shallow finger of reef makes sure that anything that rolls over it is guaranteed to pack a punch. What you'll find here is a twisting right-hander that bowls over a weird reef, creating funky double-ups and reform sections that can throw grinding barrels. Rippable cutback sections are also on the menu, and these features all work together to make Velzyland the high-performance wave that it is.
Crowds are an endemic problem here, and can lead to much frustration. You can remedy this by jumping on the sectiony lefts which peel off the main peak. They are definitely worth the ride, and can even barrel like the right just opposite, but the reef is not as well-shaped, and waves tend to close out. Paddling back out can be tricky, and you may find yourself ducking whitewater for what seems like an eternity. You can also sit on the inside of the right, in the hope that more aggressive surfers snatching waves up on the outside will blow their ride, leaving the remainder for the droves to pounce on. The inside, though short, can still produce gaping barrels before going into the channel.
An awkward phenomenon at V-land is that no matter how big the surrounding swell may be, the waves breaking will be no bigger than 6 feet. This is due in part to an outer reef that breaks the swell down outside of the takeoff spot, redefining it into an intense double-up over the aforementioned dangerously shallow inside reef. When it starts to get really big, Velzyland becomes washed out and unrecognizable under surges of whitewater.
Local boy Nainoa Surratt looking for a sweet wave setup on a Velzyland vector. Photo: Bernie Baker
Todd Holland going for a long hard North Shore drive. Photo: Jeff Divine
Camera shy? "Not," says Sunny Garcia. Except for the odd stickers, Sunny's approach is still quite the same these days. Blow-up on the North Shore. Photo: Art Brewer
Phantoms may sound like a spooky name for a surf spot, but according to the nutcases who are stoked to be surfing there, it lives up to its name. Located directly outside of Velzyland, Phantoms doesn't start showing true form until waves start cranking around the 15-foot
