Oct 16 2007
Surf the Pipeline in Hawaii
Endless sun, pristine beaches, and monster waves. Hawaii, the home of surfing, is America’s surfing Mecca, and one of the premiere surfing destinations the world over.
Hawaii has great surf most places, but if you want to call yourself a world class surfer you have to make it on the North Shore of Oahu. The North Shore covers almost 20 miles (32 kilometres) of beautiful open sandy beaches, including legendary beaches like Sunset Beach, Ehukai Beach, and Pupukea Beach, and where you will find the world famous Banzai Pipeline. A spot where the shallow water and coral shelf combine to create powerful tubular waves that resemble pipes, thus giving the place its name. For sheer adrenaline, power, beauty and danger, Pipeline has no equal. Surfing the Pipeline is an invigorating experience, but you’ll have to wait in line to ride some of the incredibly huge waves that break on these shores. And if the surf’s up, beware! The Pipeline at full strength is unforgiving, even for the pros.
If you’ve never surfed before and associate beaches with tanning and people watching, you might be inspired by the daredevils who tempt fate to take on these enormous masses of moving water. It might look difficult, however after a few lessons find a quieter beach with smaller surf and you’ll be able to check surfing in Hawaii off your list of things to experience in life.
On the other hand if you’re up for surfing action, but aren’t up for tackling the big Hawaiian waves yourself, head there in December to watch the spectacle of surfing when the best surfers in the world battle it out at Pipe Masters.
Experienced and beginner surfers alike lose themselves in the ebb and flow of the waves that crash against the shores of the Hawaiian Islands. More than just the dizzying feeling you get as you climb out of the rolling waters, the experience of surfing in Hawaii brings your soul closer to the islands. Surfing in Hawaii is an athletic, spiritual and cultural activity, which combine to create a quintessential Hawaiian experience.