Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
some strong currents here, and Rainbows will only break on the largest of northwest swells
or any swell which is north or northeasterly.
With a vibe that's similar to San Onofre,
Pohaku Beach Park
in Kahana is the epi-
center of the West Side's longboard community and perfect for beginners, commonly
known as S-Turns. Travel on Honoapi'ilani Highway until you reach the intersection with
Ho'ohui Street with the McDonald's on the corner. Turn toward the ocean, and make a left
once you reach the bottom of the hill. Drive for a quarter mile and you will see the parking
lot for S-Turns on your right. When standing in the parking lot, you will notice two distinct
breaks: one to the left and one to the right. The break to the left is S-Turns, and the one to
the right is Mushrooms. While Mushrooms can be a fun wave, it's shallow on the inside
section. Over at S-Turns, you'll notice a couple of A-frame peaks a long paddle offshore.
Surfing at S-Turns is as much of a paddle workout as a surfing workout, and you can be
forgiven if you need to stop a couple of times to catch your breath on the way out. Begin-
ners stay on the inside section, while more experienced surfers favor the outer peaks. The
wave here holds for a long time, so you want to position yourself in the spot just before
it's actually breaking. Also, there have been some shark issues at S-Turns in the past, so if
the water is murky and no one else is out, there's probably a reason for that. S-Turns starts
breaking on a moderate northwest swell, and on the largest of days can reach a few feet
overhead.
The surf break at
D.T. Fleming Beach Park
is at the far northern end of the beach. The
wave here is a combination of a beach break and a pointbreak, and it can get crowded with
bodyboarders during weekends. This is one of the few places on the West Side that picks
up windswell, so if it's windy and there aren't waves anywhere else, check Fleming's.
If you're an avid surfer,
Honolua Bay
is a spot that needs no introduction. The wave
here is truly one of the best in the world, and holds almost religious significance to the loc-
als who schedule their lives around The Bay. Honolua is reserved for experienced surfers,
but even non-surfers should come here during a large swell to watch the island's best
pull into the gaping, barreling perfection. Also, Honolua can become crowded, and if you
paddle out and nobody recognizes you, your chances of getting a wave decrease by about a
half. Granted, on days when the surf is only about head high and the crowd isn't too thick,
there can still be enough waves for everyone—provided you know what you're doing.
