Haleiwa

Surf Guide

The larger it gets, the more ferocious Haleiwa becomes, and delivering a workout capable of kicking the crap out of anyone, no matter how accomplished. The main break at Haleiwa is a rough, V-shaped reef that forms a peak 300 yards off the beach and bowls as a hard right in a series of thick sections, ending in a closeout known as Toilet Bowl. The wave is intensified by a fast-moving rip that draws water from the Avalanche reef flush-out and races right across the outer edges of Haleiwa's reef. Big WNW swells will have you constantly paddling like salmon up stream. If not, then you'll end up in the harbor channel then eventually out-to-sea. When you're on the inside, you'll often be paddling for your life to get out of harms way, as the current pulls you east toward the harbor and the waves will be swinging wider from the west. On these bigger days, you can be paddling with all your might on the inside but still going backwards toward the impact zone -- so falling on the first wave of a set can be devastating. Best bet is to finish rides all the way to the end, kick out as far as you can into the channel and ride the current back out, while still padding away from the impact zone. When the surf is small, especially on the more NW to NNW angled swells, it seems so harmless, like a fun little beach break somewhere. Smart surfers at Haleiwa learn to use the rip, not sweating the paddle out, waiting a few yards wide of the takeoff, then letting themselves be drawn into the pit for the waves they want. Not-so-smart surfers go straight to the takeoff spot, then spend the next 15 minutes paddling against the rip just to stay in position.As the swell backs away from its logical maximum -- around the triple overhead mark -- the wave loosens up and begins breaking on the shallower areas of reef, providing some deep tubes. Overhead to double overhead-plus from the WNW-NW is the wave's best size and direction -- too much north will be shadowed by Pua'ena Point, and too west will be shadowed by Avalanche and Kauai. When the surf is under head high, Haleiwa looks like a playful, semi-closed-out beachbreak; also, a left will begin to show its face from the middle of the reef, peeling back toward the harbor wall. On the inside a few yards out from the sand, a foot-high reform will give beginners something to play with as well.