First Proper Swell of the Season 2023

Those of us who love surfing on the South Shore know the cardinal rule about town swells—when Tahiti gets crazy, Oahu pumps a few days later.

That’s exactly what is about to happen this week. For those who haven’t been paying attention, Teahupoo has been firing all weekend. It started with two days in the four- to eight-foot range on Friday and Saturday, followed by a beautiful paddle/tow day on Sunday that saw some incredible rides go down. Most of the big names from the North Shore are there, along with all of the local chargers and a handful of international hellmen and women. Monday is also scheduled to pump in Tahiti, which means we are also looking at three to four days of fun to solid swell here in Town—and very soon!

It typically takes around three days for swell to make its way up from Tahiti to Oahu, so the first modest pulse of the south from the Friday swell at Teahupoo will begin to fill into the South Shore late Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday should be solidly overhead, with the main swell peaking late Wednesday and into Thursday. Friday will continue in the fun+ range, although the period will begin to drop off by then.

So, how big are we talking, exactly? Definitely the biggest of the spring thus far. In fact, this will likely be the first real swell of the season—and it might just get big enough to see Big Bowl start to flex at Ala Moana Bowls. Open ocean swell is forecasted to peak somewhere between 3.5 and 4 feet at 17 seconds.

While this is nowhere near as big as huge, historic swell we saw last July, it will likely be the biggest swell since then. Expect the odd six-footer (Hawaiian scale) to light up the swell magnets in town, while most other spots will solidly be in the three- to five-foot range. At the very least, we should see solid head-high+ waves for three days straight (maybe even four days, if the swell fills in early on Tuesday afternoon).

Long story short, the south swell season officially starts this week. If you haven’t already dialed in your quiver for the summer, we will be open all day Monday and Tuesday and have a killer selection of new boards available. Get ready to get shacked!

Get your gears before the swell starts! Shop surfboards and surf accessories today!

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