Just checked the wave conditions at Pipeline on Oahu. They're perfect -- 5-7 feet with a light breeze blowing. Let's clarify something. In California, waves are measured from trough to crest on the front side of the wave. In Hawaii, waves are measured at roughly half the height of the wave's face. Thus a 5 foot wave in Hawaii would be called a 10 foot wave in Cali. So when you read "Pipeline is breaking 5-7 feet," you can imagine wave faces at about 10-13 feet. That's BIG! You could also think of this as Hawaiians measuring wave size by measuring the back of the wave. I also checked Waikiki Beach for wave size, since I will be there (Lord willing) Aug. 4-12 (just bought my plane tickets). Sadly, the waves are currently flat -- at best 0-1 feet on the Hawaiian scale. Thankfully, Waikiki breaks much bigger during the summer months. Last summer when I surfed Waikiki, the waves averaged 2-4 feet with occasional southern-hemisphere swells of 4-6 feet. I cannot wait!
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| Hawaii no ka 'oi! ("Hawaii da best!") |