up range. What you'll find here is a short right peak with a left that can form lengthy rides. Phantoms is not as regularly surfed as other big-wave breaks, but can still reach unreal proportions. Tow-ins are conducted as well. A surfer named Jim Broach died while surfing out here on a big day in the early 1990s. Apparently, a rogue 25-foot set caught him and his fellow surfers inside and absolutely pounded them. When the sea had calmed after the set, all that was found of Broach was his surfboard. Searches were conducted in vain, and he became one of the rare casualties of big-wave surfing.
On a less threatening note, there are waves in the immediate vicinity for those unwilling to take on lunging 20-foot walls of water. Those not amped on the big stuff can seek refuge at Freddyland, just across the channel from Velzyland. On bigger and smaller days, Freddy's will usually still have a manageable wave peeling off that is perfectly suited for beginners and those shy of big waves. The wave here is a rolling peak breaking over reef, with lefts going longer than the rights.
Backyards & Boneyeards
The little headland between Sunset Beach and V-land is a quiet little neighborhood of houses lining backroads with children playing in the street. The backyards of some of these beachfront homes occasionally feature really good waves breaking off the fronting reef. And what better name for a backyard surf spot than, yes, Backyards. Surfed at times as a place of refuge from the mindboggling "Country" crowds, Backyards on its day can pump. You can choose between the rights breaking toward Sunset, or the lefts looping toward Velzyland. Either can produce long roping rides, or even barrels, that can hold quite some size (up to 15-feet plus). Waves tend to be sectiony, and it's never fun when a 10-foot wave you've struggled into closes out in your face. But on good days, you'll see less of these and more makeable rides.
Beware of the shallow inside section of the right, aptly named Boneyards. When the surf is overwhelmingly crowded at Sunset, the waves coming in on the reef here may just entice you to make the paddle over. Backyards is also a favorite haunt for windsurfers who attack the waves on the windiest of days. It's quite awe-inspiring watching them go when the swell hits solid size.
The real name of this stretch of beach, better known to the world as Sunset, is Paumalu, a Hawaiian name that means "taken secretly" and honors the memory of an unfortunate Hawaiian woman whose legs were bitten off by a shark along here. Sunset Beach, originally known as the Sunset Tract (and before that as the Pupukea-Paumalu Beach Tract), is a romantic name given to the area during the 1920s by a real estate developer who had noticed that it was one of the nicest places on Oahu to watch the sun's final rays slowly leave the sky.
Eating it sucks, but, well, nobody's perfect. Bruce Irons (Top) and Mark Healy (Bottom) show you what happens when you swallow without chewing. Photos: Jason Childs
Each year, the North Shore deals out the slaps. Injuries and even fatalities can occur, regardless of one's ability in the water. Always check with the lifeguards if you are ever in doubt, and even if you aren't. Photo: Jason Childs
Whatever the name's origin, Sunset is one of the most challenging surfing venues in the world. Under 6 feet, the waves here break over an inside reef close to its palm tree-dotted point and form an enjoyable performance right called Sunset Point. At this playful size, you'll find all sorts of people having fun: longboarders, boogeyboarders, keikis (children), etc.
But as the swell here rises, the action shifts dramatically to a deep-water outside reef where ocean swells channel into thick, ever-shifting and fast-moving surges of water that force their way towards shore with waterfall-like lips. Add the prospect of 15- to 25-knot trade winds that blow huge plumes of salt spray high above the face of these monstrosities (holding you up in vertical drop mode and blinding your eyes until the very last second) and what you have here, would-be surfer, is one of the great surf spots in the world. If you want to be shit-scared by Nature in all her primeval glory, this is a great first-time-in-big-waves testing and prove-yourself ground.
Technically, there are two main peaks that are surfed at Sunset on a good day, both partial to swell direction. On west swells, a fast mountainlike peak rises towards the channel and peels off menacingly, crushing anything that's caught in its path. Sometimes, a left will shoulder off from the peak, and though you can ride it, you can also end up in a very bad spot over the reef and be imminently prone to getting caught inside and being brutally spanked by a very sneaky clean-up set.
A "Surfer's Crossing" indeed! Photo: Joe Carini
Up the reef, however, is Sunset's classic north peak, a sea mount fueled by good north swells which break way outside, and which can present the most diffident of waverunners with a big and contentious wall that can run on through to the inside. This inside section is yet another story because this realm of the reef can push waves into some of the most intense and fat barrels around. Making it through one of these mothers is yet another crapshoot, usually rated at about a 50/50 chance of survival. Woe to those who find themselves inside a thick barrel that claps shut on their head and pile-drives them into the shallow reef below. Those who emerge from such a sick insider are deemed legends, and will surely be buzzing from the resultant euphoria and adrenaline rush for the rest of the day.
Northwest swells do this place the most justice, and anything from 6 to 15 feet is fair game. It's always bigger out there than it looks from the beach, so you may want to consult the lifeguards before paddling into something way over your head. Or you may want to stick to Val's Reef over the inside with the local groms before heading out into the open sea.
Crowds are an everpresent dilemma at Sunset, and on some days, you will see more than a hundred tiny heads bobbing in the water. Whatever your intentions, Sunset requires top physical conditioning, a primo set of lungs, a big board and even bigger balls. Getting caught inside and pounded is a fact of life when surfing here, as are broken boards. To actually wire Sunset's shifty peaks takes years of dedication.
Paddle straight out from the beach, but time your entries and exits carefully so as to not make a fool of yourself in the heavy inside shorebreak.
More Than Just A Market
Back on shore, let's repair to Kammies Market, a local foodery that has become a bit of an institution in the Sunset Beach area (and which caters to all a surfer might need). Kammies even serves up waves. Well, not exactly, but the fun left/right peak parallel to the store is called Kammies and can fulfill your desire for waves on smaller North Shore days. The waves out here can be bowly and fun, so just check it out from the beach, brah. Usually not too crowded either.
The next two spots going towards Haleiwa from Kammies are Stone Zone and Monster Mush. Both are better on small swell days when almost every other spot on the North Shore is manageable. They can also sometimes be a great escape from the madding crowds. Stone Zone can have juicy fun peaks and Monster Mush features a usually mushy right-hander and left. The Mush is right across from Rocky Point, which we will discuss next. Again, think small.
And on a mild day at Waimea Bay, it's crosstown traffic, or perhaps— "Ho! Hey! Going! Got it!"—more like a misplaced Malibu on Oahu's constantly busy North Shore. Photo: Jeff Divine
If there was ever a spot made for shooting pictures and for catering to the needs of a photo slut, it would have to be Rocky Point. That's not to say that the waves at Rocky's suck; it's just that they
