Maui’s First Winter Swell of 2008

Last week we had Maui’s first real winter swell rumble into our Northshore.  With wave heights up to 6-8 Hawaiian, Hookipa closed out and the jet ski’s were buzzing around the outer reefs of Kanaha.

Meanwhile, I’m blowing out the cobwebs in my jet ski, “Barbarella”.  And I’m still hunting down the right tow partner this season.  And as always, I look forward to hitching rides with Maria Souza and Andrea Moller, a.k.a. “Team Amazone”.

Instead, I paddled out with “Sharky”, our token male surf instructor, at “Windmills”.  With no one surfing the left off the rock, Sharky rallied me to pick off a barreling left with him.  I had to do a surf demo for the Westin at 10am, and here I was paddling out in 6 foot surf at 9:15.  I figured I had to just go for it & surf one “Windmill” monster barrel.

We duck dove through some close out sets and I managed to bear hug my 6’4 Kazuma like a tree hugger under water.  Sharky was killing it, with his first wave, an in and out barrel.  I saw him take an air drop on a 6 foot face on his next wave.  I ended up getting a big close out, but it was a fun drop that bombed me into the inside section, practically landing me on the Westin’s front lawn for my free surf lesson demo.

I have to say after spending the last ten days in Arkansas visiting my mom, surfing “Windmills” with good ol’ Sharky was a refreshing way to kick start my winter surf engine.  Now all I gotta do is get my jet ski fired up for the real winter bombs!

More winter wave reporting to come…