Wiamea Bay

I've been in Hawaii now for a week. My trip started with a good session at the world renown Sunset Beach, 5'-6' Hawaiian waves (10' to 12' faces). Then I finally went to Makaha - where it all started in Hawaii back in the 1960's, and the stomping ground of the likes of Greg Noll. This was a fun place to surf, and the locals there were receptive and welcoming. After these two sessions, as well as many others around the island of Oahu, I'm really stoked on my Hawaii trip so far.

And, today I finally got to surf Wiamea Bay... and it was an experience.

The sets were about 8 - 10 Hawaiian - so that's faces in the 16 to 20ft range. But there were a few rogue sets almost twice that size coming through.

For about 30 mins I sat and the shoulder and looked, let the half dozen surfers get used to me being there on a stand up, and watching carefully the take off and what the wave was doing when they were on it. Basically, you take a massive drop (all of them on 10'+ boards), hang on for dear life and ride it out, or get taken out. Thats pretty much it.

Eventually one with my name came my way - a good 10' or 11' wave (20'+ face) and took the drop. I'm on a 8'5" Cutback that is really just wrong for this as it is steep, fast and it was wind blown choppy. I expected to be too slow, end up at the top of the wave and then either go over the falls, or go down the face so fast that I'd just skip off...

I made the drop fine, rode it out, and then pulled off the side of the wave and paddled back out, heart racing. Biggest wave I've dropped into with an SUP so far.

About 30 mins went by, and then a huge set started to come through... everyone scattered... some paddling out, some dumped boards and started to swim down... I was off to the side a little, and was perfectly set up to take it. I turned, paddled my ass off, and all I could feel was I was getting higher and higher and higher looking down the face of a wave that never ended... right at about the time I started to zoom down the face I thought "this was a bad idea". I made the drop, pulled a bottom turn and brought the board back up to the lip as I passed a surfer paddling back out who was yelling encouragement, and then made a second drop, rode it out and then the wave faded and I pulled off the side. I paddled over and back out and sat down, heart thumping.

The surfer paddled over and said "Dude, thats the biggest wave of the day for sure. It was over 30' on the face!"

It sure felt like it, not that I had the faintest idea if it was 20' or 40' from where I was. it felt like 80'. I sat there for another 30 mins or so, heart racing before another huge wave came our way. Again the surfers were badly placed and some swam out, some ditched boards, and I went for it. But really, I was too deep too, and I just dropped down the face like a falling stone, and wipped out at the bottom... and then got CREAMED! I got chundered and dragged forever, that huge volume SUP just staying in the whitewash dragging me until I was about out of breath. Finally, it got calm, but it was all black and deep, and I started to swim up and finally broke the surface just to see another wave coming at me... back down, another beating... no breath, back up. Jumped on the board and sprinted out of the impact zone.

That was enough... sun setting, 2 great waves, one humbling beat down... time for a rum and coke!

What a day!

Corran

Great story Corran! On a 8'5" no less...
Thanks for sharing this with us. Did you lose your paddle or managed to cling to it?

Sympa (et un peu effrayant !) le récit ... Dommage que tu n'avais pas une Go-Pro !

So Great! Thanks Corran, merci. I guess these incredible rides will stay in your memory all life! It's so well described I imagine myself in it

Today was a good day. Bien joué Corran, pour moi tu es entré dans un autre monde.

Non j'ai pas perdu ma pagaille. Je lai tennu comme il faut mais je pensais ne d'autre arrrache le pieds par le leash. LOL. Jauraits biens volou une Gillet de sauftage par contre ha ha.

Demain on vas voir les vrai bon gars de sup. Moi je suis encore débutent je pense compare a plusieres autres :-).

Mais je suis content d'avoir rider wiamea.

Corran

Great!

pour moi c'est un cauchemar ....tout simplement ...

grand respect à toi corran ! bien joué

Photo de Sunset (la moitier du taille du jour avands, mais bref... quand meme le fun).

Corran

C'est toi ? pendant les trials?

Oui... c'est moi dans les trials... j'ai juste eu un ride... c'etait pas pire, mais pas assez lol

Corran

corran a écrit:

Photo de Sunset (la moitier du taille du jour avands, mais bref... quand meme le fun).

Corran

Superbe !!
Raconte nous un peu la compet, ta série, les vagues, l'ambiance, etc...On veux tous savoir

cloclo a écrit:

corran a écrit:

Photo de Sunset (la moitier du taille du jour avands, mais bref... quand meme le fun).

Corran

Superbe !!
Raconte nous un peu la compet, ta série, les vagues, l'ambiance, etc...On veux tous savoir

La moitié de la taille:ça fait rever....ici on la veut bien ta moitié (et meme un bon quart)

Bravo Corran!

Well told Corran--loved the imagery of the big honkin set wave and you by default in the slot--i can't imagine the hold down with that board dragging you on forever. Sheesh!

Daniel a écrit:Well told Corran--loved the imagery of the big honkin set wave and you by default in the slot--i can't imagine the hold down with that board dragging you on forever. Sheesh!

Hey Dan', where is your brain spliting? You're now in France, so express yourself in french!
We're not on the same page my buddy boy!Tabernouche!

Benji a écrit:

Daniel a écrit:Well told Corran--loved the imagery of the big honkin set wave and you by default in the slot--i can't imagine the hold down with that board dragging you on forever. Sheesh!

Hey Dan', where is your brain spliting? You're now in France, so express yourself in french!
We're not on the same page my buddy boy!Tabernouche!

Ah ouais, s'quse--j'ai ecrit une reaction au recit engleesh de corran--j'ai eu un reflex automatique de repondre en anglais sans vraiment y penser ! Je lui ai dit qu'il a bien conter son aventure et que la gamelle qu'il s'est prise avait tout d'un cauchemar. Ayant vu waimea de pres (mais pas surfer), je m'incline avec respect--c'est une masse d'eau inimaginable.
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