Blog

 Riding the El Niño Wave! Weather Condition In the insightful article by Schaler Perry, we delve into the crucial details of the recent weather forecast, specifically focusing on the Hawaiian mid-summer outlook for 2023. As we approach this vibrant season, all eyes are on the potential impact of the El Niño phenomenon, a primary driver shaping surf prospects for the back half of the year. Perry's expert analysis sheds light on the implications of the building El Niño event and how it may influence wave patterns, storm tracks, and tropical systems in the region. Continue reading to explore the intriguing possibilities...

MOE Surfboard Review Jelly resides in the breathtaking Ewa Beach, where they have been fully immersed in the world of surfing. About four to five months ago, Joey decided to upgrade his surfboard to the Moe, which has brought a new level of excitement and performance to their sessions. Despite a few close calls, such as the time Jelly's foot met the full force of a wave, the board has remained intact, proving its durability and resilience. Throughout his surfing journey, Jelly has explored different surf spots, including White Plains and Point-of-Point. While they've also ventured to Leftovers a few...

Surf Etiquette - It's Time We Talk Story Watch the youtube video: https://youtu.be/GbdgVHSPxhE   Aloha surfers! I recently came across an enlightening article by veteran surf journalist Zander Morton. He discussed the concerning rise of hostility and lack of etiquette he’s observed in the water.Morton referenced a Nate Florence and Koa Rothman podcast episode where they vented about the frequent lack of respect in the lineup these days. As seasoned pros, they had some crazy stories to share.According to Morton’s recap, Florence and Rothman described surfers blatantly dropping in, aggressively snaking, and basically acting like they own the ocean. As the...

With 10 stops spread over nine months, the world tour is a long, hard grind with a wide variety of venues. From beach breaks and points to reef slabs with huge barrels, there’s a little bit of everything, but perhaps no wave exposes the weaknesses in a surfer’s technique like Jeffreys Bay. One of the best right-hand points in the world and unquestionably South Africa’s most famous wave, J-Bay has been blowing minds and redefining perfection for more than 50 years. But despite its flawless nature and the fact that it has been around for so long, it is still...

Navigating the Effectiveness of Drum Lines Video from NSW Department of Primary Industries | Fisheries https://youtu.be/Og2RfYVBPoA   A fascinating article by Cooper Gegan who spoke to a researcher Leah Gibbs - discussing the use of drum lines to prevent shark attacks near beaches. Drum lines are essentially large hooks with bait attached to buoys that are placed in the water. The intention behind their deployment is to deter sharks, but Leah delves deeper into the subject to examine their actual effectiveness. The article points out that while certain statistics may indicate a decrease in shark attacks following the implementation of drum lines,...

While we might deny it, most of us are as worried about how we look when we surf as we are about how much fun we have. When we first start surfing, all we care about is the stoke, but once we start to develop rudimentary skills, we start caring what other people think about us, and we do whatever can to avoid looking like kooks. There are a number of “kooky” things people can do, from putting our boards wax down on the sand to letting waves hit us sideways rather than head-on. One thing that many of us...

Strange things are afoot at your local WSL. Photo by WSL When the World Surf League hired former Oprah Winfrey OWN network president Erik Logan to serve as CEO in 2019, a lot of people in the surf industry scratched their heads in confusion. Logan didn’t exactly have a surf industry background, even if he made a concerted effort on Instagram to prove that he was a legit surfer who frequented the waves around Malibu. He was a strange choice to lead surfing’s competitive body, and ended up implementing a number of controversial changes during his tenure, including the mid-season...

Puddle Jumper Pro Surfboard Review Paul (5'8" and 172 pounds) shares his experience with his regular puddle jumper board and praises its incredible rail-to-rail performance due to the V-shaped tail. In this video, he introduces his new board, which serves as a step-up from his current one, offering similar responsiveness and drive for tackling slightly bigger waves. Paul explains how Matt, the board shaper, customized the new board by reducing the concave in the nose to suit his preference for riding windy waves. He also shares his height (5'8"), weight (172 pounds), and the board's volume (30 liters). Paul plans...

Rip Curl Grom Search  The Rip Curl Grom Search has become one of the most popular junior events each year, with three events at Huntington Beach, Kewalos, and New Smyrna Beach providing young surfers with the opportunity hone their competitive skills, show off the crowds and judges, and earn a spot in the finals at the Palm Springs Surf Club wave pool in California. It’s the dream series for young surfers, and is made possible largely due to the support of FCS, which serves as one of the main sponsors of the Grom Search events. The Rip Curl Grom Search...

Surfer Spotlight: ELIAS CALLEJO When and why did you initially get into surfing? I started bodyboarding in middle school and quickly became infatuated with catching waves. My first time standing up on a surfboard was in 9th grade. It was way too hard for me to get used to not having any fins of my feet like bodyboarding and getting vana in my feet (which is super common in kona) became too much of a chore, so I constantly put surfing on the back burner to bodyboarding until I got my first barrel standing up. Then it was surfing full...

Talking story with Keoni Watson about Sharkbanz!    A fisherman was trolling in MahiMahi and fighting when a big shark came and started attacking. The guy on the board had a Sharkbanz and clipped it on the line. He let it down and when it got to the water, the shark started to take off. That’s all I needed to hear to use Sharkbanz on my right arm, left leg, and right leg. I think I am fully covered! 😄 Here are a few key reasons why it’s the must-have accessory for anyone venturing into the deep blue: ✅ Advanced...

RIP Mikala Jones - Saying Goodbye to One of Hawaii’s Most Talented, Humble, and Beloved Surfer The Jones family is the closest thing Hawaii has had to surfing royalty in decades. From photographer/shaper/patriarch John Jones and his beloved wife Vi to their legendary children Malia (a former professional surfer and international fashion model), Mikala (a lifelong professional surfer and one of the pioneers of POV barrel shots), Daniel (also a former professional surfer and currently one of the up-and-coming shapers on the North Shore), and younger brother Keoni (who is also a naturally talented athlete, sponsored surfer, and charger in his...

South Shore Hawaii "Wave Of Da Summah"    Get ready to witness the thrill, excitement, and intense competition as Hawaii's surf community gears up for the highly anticipated "Wave Of Da Summah" contest. With a prize pool of $5000 up for grabs, surfers, filmmakers, and shapers from across the Hawaiian islands are ready to showcase their skills and claim the title of the best wave rider of the summer. Join us as we dive into the details of this exhilarating contest and explore the passion that drives these talented individuals. Organized by IPD, the "Wave Of Da Summah" contest promises...

The Rio Pro The VIVO (formerly Oi!) Rio Pro is always a controversial event. The waves are rarely good (although they can sometimes surprise us), Slater never shows up, a Brazilian nearly always wins, and the contest is the least popular on tour among the athletes (despite being one of the most-attended by fans, with 40,000 people on the beach every time there’s a heat in the water). This year was noteworthy for being pretty much exactly what you’d expect—except for the fact that the faces on the podium were finally different than they have been the past four years...

Peacemaker Surfboard Review Jess describes how the new board has been a complete game changer for her surfing, resulting in a significant improvement in his skills. She talks about the paddle power and how effortlessly she was able to catch waves with this board. Jess expresses her delight in the board's responsiveness and how light it feels. She also mentions the location where she recently surfed, giving a shoutout to Diamond Head. Despite some choppy conditions, she had an incredible session and felt like she experienced the best wave of her life on this board. Jess confirms that she used...

SCI-FI 2.0 Surfboard Review   Tony from Hawaiian South Shore talks about his latest surfboard purchase, his second sci-fi in a year. He describes the board as the best surfboard he's ever had and truly magic for him. Despite being a bigger guy, he notes that the board surfs like a twin but still offers a lot of control, particularly with the tail which he can stomp on and maintain control. Tony mentions that he broke his previous board that morning at Rocky's when a young surfer hit it, but was relieved to find that Hawaiian South Shore had a...

Mashup Surfboard Review   Mark Hirokawa ( 5'7", 160 pounds) shares his experience with a surfboard he has been using for about four to five months. He describes the board as super fun, easy to paddle, and turn, and overall, easy to ride. He recommends the board and shares that he's currently using the Color Haze three-fin setup but is interested in trying out a four-fin setup. Mark is 5'7", 160 pounds, and the board's volume is 28.7.  With extensive experience in the world of surfing, Mark eagerly shares his insights on the exceptional performance of this board. He enthusiastically notes...

The Pukas Twin + 1 Fin Set   While Axel Lorentz isn’t a household name here in the US and Hawaii, he has been making some of the best-performing boards in Europe for years. Part of the Pukas team, Lorentz has redefined big wave performance with boards for team riders such as Natxo Gonzalez and Grant “Twiggy” Baker, and his small-wave performance DARK design he was runner up in the recent Stab in the Dark contest. With such an impressive surfboard design pedigree, it was only a matter of time before Lorentz’ fin designs began to attract global attention, and...

The surfing community is broad and diverse, including ocean lovers from all walks of life. I am always amazed by the people I meet in the water—and this past week was no exception. While I was enjoying a surf session here in town, I started chatting with a woman who used to work for NOAA. We were talking about the fines that have been imposed on some of the dolphin tours here on the island, which has been somewhat of a controversial issue. While the local government and sea life authorities assert that the dolphin tour boats are disturbing these...