Surfing Hawaii. Leonard Lueras
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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 and 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