Surf’s up

I was going to run photos from my archives for this post, but then last Sunday saw a large northwest swell hit the islands. This is the time of year for such conditions, which generate huge waves on the north coasts of Oahu, Maui, and Kauai, and draw big wave surfers from around the world.

The other Hawaiian islands shelter the Big Island from most of these swells, but if their direction is more northerly or westerly, then we get our share of good-sized waves crashing ashore. Sunday was one such day.

These photos were taken along the North Kohala shore at Upolu. I went down onto the rocks to get some eye-level photos and had to scramble a couple of times when I saw outsize swells rolling in. In the bottom right square is a feature I call Guard Dog Rock because of its profile. On this occasion it could be called Lifeguard Dog Rock, but you’re still on your own if you go in the water.

Posted in response to Becky’s January Squares challenge theme of ‘Up.’ See more responses here.

18 thoughts on “Surf’s up”

    1. Graham Post author

      A bigger swell is expected in Hawaii this weekend. Not sure whether it will impact the Big Island in the same way as the smaller islands, but I’ll be out taking a look.

      Liked by 2 people

  4. Terri Webster Schrandt

    Wow, fabulous waves, Graham! January seems to be the month for the big surf. Each time I’ve been to the Hawaiian Islands, we saw immense waves at Oahu’s north shore and on the Hilo side of the Big Island in January 2018. We have a sunny day here in Spokane but very high winds from the west, with some gusts clocked at 70+ mph. Too cold for windsurfing, LOL!

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    1. Graham Post author

      This is the time of year for those swells. That’s why the Eddie Big Wave Invitational competition (better known as The Eddie) is scheduled at this time of year (though not this year because of the virus). More big surf is coming through this weekend and maybe next week too. I read about your winds – yikes. Don’t some people do ice windsurfing? Could be a golden opportunity!

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