The South Shore Surf Guide Series: Big Rights
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What Is Big Rights?
The marquee right-hander in the Ala Moana Beach Park lineup (where most of the quality waves are lefts), Big Rights lives up to its name once or twice per summer, when it handles the largest south/southwest swells that max out most of the rest of the waves along this stretch of reef. A well-formed right-hand reef break with a bowly wall, a bit of punch, and the occasional barrel, this is a favorite amongst the local regular-foots in Town, and tends to be a bit more crowded than the other waves in the Ala Moana Parkside area.
Swell, Wind, and Conditions
Like all of the waves in Ala Moana, Big Rights works on any swell with south in it, ranging from southeast hurricane swells to south and southwest ground swells. The wind is straight offshore when its northeast/east-northeast, but is serviceable from northwest to east.
Tide and Access
Tide isn't a deciding factor at the spot, although a bit more water is helpful when the swell is large, and a bit less helps the wave shape up on smaller days. It is accessed by the same long paddle as all of the other waves in the area, with surfers having to gingerly walk over shallow, sandy reef at low tide and half-paddled across the reef at high.
Boards for Big Rights
Big Rights is one of the more high-performance waves in the Ala Moana Beach Park area, and is typically ridden on shortboards (although there are always a few uncles out on high-performance longboards). Just about anything works, due to the quality of the wave, so high-performance shortboards such as the Firewire FRK+ or Puddle Jumper Sting. Either a quad or thruster setup works fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Big Rights surf spot located?
Big Rights is located within the Ala Moana Parkside surf zone at Ala Moana Beach Park in Honolulu. It sits on the western end of the Parkside lineup, adjacent to Concessions. Access requires the same long paddle across the inner lagoon as the other waves in the area — walk carefully over shallow, sandy reef at low tide, or half-paddle across at high.
What swell direction does Big Rights need?
Big Rights works on any swell with south in it — that includes southeast hurricane swells, straight south ground swells, and southwest ground swells. It lives up to its name once or twice per summer when the largest south and southwest swells roll through and max out most of the other waves along the reef.
What wind is best at Big Rights?
The wind is straight offshore when it's northeast or east-northeast, which is the predominant trade wind direction — so Big Rights is clean most of the time. It's also serviceable anywhere from northwest to east, giving it a pretty wide wind window.
What boards work best at Big Rights?
Big Rights is primarily a shortboard wave, and the quality of the wave means just about any high-performance shortboard will go well — the Firewire FRK+ is a solid choice. Either a quad or thruster fin setup works fine. A few high-performance longboarders can be found out there too, but it's mostly a shortboard crowd.
How does tide affect Big Rights?
Tide isn't a major deciding factor at Big Rights, though a bit more water is helpful when the swell is large, and a bit less water helps the wave shape up on smaller days. The access walk over the reef is worth knowing: at low tide you'll be picking your way over shallow, sandy reef on foot.
How crowded does Big Rights get?
Big Rights tends to be a bit more crowded than the other waves in the Ala Moana Parkside area, largely because it's the marquee right in a stretch of reef dominated by lefts. The long paddle keeps the casual crowd down, but when a solid south swell is running and most other spots are maxing out, the regulars know exactly where to go.