Surfers on the North Shore of Oahu

On my road trip around Oahu, Hawaii I made a point of visiting the North Shore. I was specifically interested in the Banzai Pipeline because of it's reputation for large waves and extreme surfers. The entire area is a worldwide surfing hot spot, and that's immediately clear when you see how many professionals talk about this place. 

I got some nice shots from the shore with my telephoto lens, however I missed out on seeing any surfers riding the tube as my visit was fairly brief. Check out the video below to see just how big the waves here can get. It's difficult to describe the sound and how aggressive the swells are, but I saw more than one person get knocked off their feet as the waves rolled in. 

Waikiki Beach and Honolulu are on the south side of the island, so the waves are smaller as the ocean current moves around Oahu. Fittingly, most of the surfers there are tourists. By contrast, I didn't see any novice surfers on the North Shore. It was an impressive scene and a lot of fun to watch. No question, surfing here takes a lot of skill and guts.