Surfing Hawaii

Pipeline is the proving ground of professional surfing—a shallow, left-breaking barrel that has defined generations of surfers. The wave breaks just 75 yards from the beach over a...

Sunset Beach is one of surfing's most revered and challenging waves—a football-field-sized playing field of shifting peaks and deep-water power. West Peak is the classic heavy...

Waimea Bay is the birthplace of big wave surfing—a thundering right-hander that only truly comes alive when swells exceed 15 feet. When it's on, the takeoff is a heart-stopping...

Backdoor is the right-hand barrel at the Pipeline reef—sharing the same takeoff zone but breaking in the opposite direction. When NW to NNW swells arrive with shorter periods,...

Off The Wall sits just west of Pipeline and delivers powerful rights with workable walls and barrel sections. When N-NNE swells sweep sets down from Backdoor, OTW lights up with...

Rocky Point is the North Shore's premier high-performance wave—shifty peaks over reef that offer both rippable faces and solid barrel sections. Strong currents keep the lineup...

Haleiwa is the gateway to the North Shore and a Triple Crown venue that delivers powerful rights and hollow barrels. The Toilet Bowl inside section is brutally shallow, adding...

Velzyland is a draining right-hand ledge over shallow coral named after legendary shaper Dale Velzy. Phantom Reef offshore funnels swell directly into the lineup, creating hollow,...

Log Cabins catches more northerly swells than its neighbor Pipeline, with westerly swells refracting past toward Pipe. The uneven lava and sand bottom creates heavier barrels that...

Gas Chambers is a fast, hollow, detonating barrel that breaks over extremely shallow reef between Rocky Point and Pipeline. The name says it all—you're locked in a tube with very...

Rockpile sits between Log Cabins and Off The Wall, offering a mighty left that rolls 150 yards from deep water. Also known as Gap in the Road, it becomes a legitimate big wave...

Leftovers sits between Haleiwa and Waimea Bay, catching leftover swell that bends around the point. On the right day, it can deliver world-class waves with barely anyone out—one...

Laniakea is a beautiful right point break 2.5 miles north of Haleiwa, also famous as Turtle Beach for the green sea turtles that bask on shore. The wave offers fun, long walls...

Chun's Reef is the mellow side of the North Shore—a fun reef break that offers longboard-friendly rights without the intensity of its bigger-name neighbors. Accessible and...

Backyards is a shifty wave between Sunset Beach and Velzyland that requires a fast takeoff to get barreled. Shallow coral can detonate without warning, and the break sits directly...

Pupukea is a sand and rock bottom break between the Pipeline area and Rocky Point. Fun and surfable at smaller sizes, it becomes demanding at head-high-plus with legitimate...

Kammieland is named after the old Kammie's Market nearby. It offers a fickle but consistent left over shallow reef with long, workable walls—and far less crowd pressure than the...

Mokuleia is a two-mile north-facing beach break stretch west of Haleiwa with multiple peaks and relative solitude. The trade-off is that NE trade winds are onshore here, so it...

Phantoms is a big wave outer reef that lurks beyond Velzyland and Sunset Beach, only awakening when XL winter swells march in. It funnels swell toward the shoreline breaks and...

Outer Log Cabins is the North Shore's extreme outer reef that refracts long-period WNW swell toward Pipeline. Breaking on only the biggest swells, it reforms into Pipe on the...

Himalayas is a massive outer reef off Haleiwa that only breaks on historic, once-in-a-decade swells. Named for the Himalayan scale of the waves it produces, this is true frontier...

The Backdoor Outer Reef encompasses Pipeline's 2nd and 3rd reef, breaking 80 yards outside the main zone at 4x+ overhead. Foamy lumps reform into Pipe on the inside, creating one...

Avalanche is a deepwater outer reef near Haleiwa that handles massive swells when the nearshore breaks max out. It offers big wave left-handers in relatively deep water.

Ala Moana Bowls is the Pipeline of Town—long, hollow, fast lefts over a shallow man-made reef created during 1950s harbor construction. When solid south swells arrive, it produces...

Kaisers is the premier South Shore performance wave—a bowly, hollow right that empties into a deep channel with a left going over shallow reef. The fierce pecking order among...

Kewalos is an A-frame peak that has served as the proving ground for some of Hawaii's greatest modern surfers, including Carissa Moore and Seth Moniz. The left walls up for...

Publics offers one of the longest lefts in Honolulu, peeling over sharp live coral near Diamond Head. Softer and friendlier on higher tides, it becomes hollower and more dangerous...

Three's is a fast and hollow right-hander in the Waikiki/Diamond Head area that catches more S-SE swell than other south shore breaks, making it one of the more consistent summer...

Diamond Head Cliffs encompasses multiple breaks along the iconic crater—Lighthouse, Cliffs, Suicides, and Tongs. More easterly exposure than other south shore spots means it picks...

Tunnels is a spectacular hollow right-hander that breaks over shallow reef on Kauai's North Shore. The long paddle out is rewarded with deep barrel tubes in crystal-clear water...

Cannons is the equally hollow and shallow left on the other side of Ha'ena Bay from Tunnels. A shorter paddle than its neighbor, it delivers powerful barrels in a breathtaking...

Hanalei Point is a long right point that breaks 300+ yards over lava reef with powerful barrel sections and an inside bowl. Multiple peaks spread the crowd across the lineup. This...

Waikoko's sits across Hanalei Bay from Hanalei Point, offering a fickle left reef break that requires large N swell and W wind to fire. When conditions align, it's a beautiful,...

Hideaways is an exposed reef break in Princeville that produces hollow A-frames on NW swell. Limited to 10 parking spots and accessed by a steep trail, it rewards the effort with...

Banyans is the Big Island's best wave—an A-frame reef break that catches both W/NW swells in winter and S swells in summer, making it one of Hawaii's most versatile spots. Long,...

Pine Trees (Kohanaiki) is the most consistent break on the Kona coast, with multiple peaks that work on a wide range of swell directions. The left is usually better. Shallow reef...

Lyman's is a classic left point/reef break south of Magic Sands on the Kona coast. It works on multiple swell directions—NW in winter, SW in summer—making it one of the more...

Jaws (Pe'ahi) is one of the biggest rideable waves on Earth and the birthplace of tow-in surfing. A deep water reef amplifies massive North Pacific swells, producing walls of...

Hookipa is world-famous for windsurfing but also delivers excellent reef break surfing. Multiple peaks in the bay catch consistent winter swells, though strong currents and...

Honolua Bay is Maui's crown jewel—Hawaii's best point break offering 200-400 meter rides through multiple sections (Coconuts, The Cave, Keiki Bowl). Molokai island shadows pure NW...

Honokohau Bay sits just south of Honolua Bay and offers a less crowded alternative when Honolua is maxed out. Solid right reef break with barrel sections that shares the same...

Canoes is Hawaii's most iconic learner wave and the birthplace of modern surfing. Most days it's a gentle, rolling right, but when big south swells hit, the barrel section...

Queen's is named after Queen Liliuokalani, the last monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Most days it's a mellow, forgiving wave, but when big south swells hit, the inside ramp...

Makaha is Hawaii's original big wave spot—the place where big wave surfing was pioneered before Waimea Bay. Multiple sections (Point, Bowl, Blowhole, Inside Reef) offer different...

Ma'alaea (Freight Trains) is considered the world's fastest rideable wave—a 150-300+ yard barrel that fires only a handful of times per year when huge south swells slip through...

Pakala (Infinities) is a long, roping left point break on Kauai's south coast. Named Infinities for the seemingly endless 200+ yard rides it produces when big enough. A hidden gem...

Polihale is a remote beach break at the end of the road on Kauai's west side. Powerful waves channel in from the Na Pali coast, producing empty, epic beachbreak peaks with strong...

Honoli'i is the most consistent wave on the Big Island's east side—a rivermouth break near Hilo that creates strong, reliable peaks year-round. Sharp lava rocks demand respect,...

Kaena Point is Oahu's most remote and most powerful wave, accessible only by foot at the island's northwestern tip. Sometimes deemed unrideable, it represents true frontier big...

Sandy Beach is one of the most powerful shorebreaks in Hawaii—a thick, detonating shore pound that's primarily a bodysurf and bodyboard wave. Red Bull Foam Wreckers venue. Not a...