Monday, May 30, 2005

Monday 5 30: 9.45pm forecast/report

Howzit everybody. I'm back from Kauai. We had a blast over there. What a beautiful island. Soon I'll post some photos (working on that), but for now let me post some taken today that show the funtastic sailing conditions that this incredible May keeps giving us. Check'em out below (start from the lowest one for the story telling). In Kauai I didn't have internet access, so I couldn't check the weather maps, but the NW (4 feet, 12 sec) and Waimea (3.5 feet, 13 sec) buoys, even though on the decline, still show some decent energy. So tomorrow should be another fun day.
I just checked the action of the WCT Fiji contest on http://www.globefiji.com. Oh my god! If only a tenth of that energy will arrive here, it's gonna be a lot of fun on the south shore around Thursday. Unfortunately, due to the long travel distance and to the shadowing effect of all those islands of French Polinesia, this is not easy to predict. The equator buoy showed a couple of interestin readings at 2 feet, 23 sec, but then it then nothing more. We'll see.
I know, it's not the best forecast I did. But I hope you enjoy the pictures! Aloha.

frikin mast high. After coming out of the rocks with broken boom a board, I sailed Kanaha at sunset and that was soooo much fun. Shoulder, head, overhead, logo high. All sizes. Wait a moment, what day is today? May 30th?!? Un-believable. The best spring for windsurfing on Maui north shore since I'm here (2001)!

Taboul again, same wave.

here's how the pros do, instead. Keith Teboul shows some confidence.

almost...

I almost caught it!

oh shit!

here we go. Waves are pretty big, but I think I can make it.

time to cut my hair? Let's do a survey. To say yes, click on a banner on a left. To say no, click on a banner on the right... :-)

Three typical Hookipa beach bums: Anatol, me and Glenn. Glenn seems to be thinking:"Uhm... which sail should I rig?". And he probably is. Notice the guy on the right that rigged the boom upside down. I wonder if he realized that before hitting the water. For sure, he realized it after hitting the water as soon as he needed to hook in the harness lines!

Friday, May 20, 2005

Friday 5-20: 6pm forecast/report

Howzit everybody. There's small waves on the south shore. Actually yesterday they were even head high on the Lahaina side, but I was busy. Today, more in the waiste high range, with some shoulder high sets. A reinforcement should arrive tonight, peak tomorrow and linger into the weekend. Don't expect nothing too big, since the equator buoy only shows a couple of feet with 14 to 16 sec, from 195 degrees. Not much happening on the north shore next week, with no waves and light wind. Good, I choosed the right week to go to Kauai... hopefully the rain won't be as bad as they forecast, dammit! Oh, well we'll surf the south shore. I want to see what not having freaking Kahoolawe right in front means... I'll be back in a week with a bunch of photos. You guys take care. Ciao. And click on a damn banner that these vacations are expensive!!

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

wednesday 5 18: 8am forecast

Yesterday was light wind and small waves, but still fun sailing at Hookipa. Today it should be even better, since a new NW swell is on its way. The NW bouy is alreaday at 4 feet, 14 sec and the Waimea buoy is at 1 foot, 16 sec, 300 degrees. It will pick up steadily and hopefully by late afternoon it's going to be in the head high range at Hookipa. Limiting factor is the quite westerly direction. In fact, the west Maui mountain could be blocking it, at least in Kanaha. It will turn gradually more from the north as the days go by, though. There's a cloud band over Hawaii and that will limit the strenght of the trade winds, so get your big windsurf boards ready today. Tomorrow it could even be a variable wind day, so get your surf boards ready. Enjoy.

Monday, May 16, 2005


Hookipa 5 15 05. Nice backloop by unknown sailor. The conditions were really good today. Strong and finally steady wind all the way inside the bay. A lot of fun.

Monday 5 16: 9am forecast

As you can see from the photo below, the new NW swell gave us some out of season thrills at Hookipa. The NW buoy is now at 4 feet, 12 sec and the Waimea buoy is at 2 feet, 14 sec and 310 degrees. In other words, it's gonna be another good day of wavesailing at Hookipa beach park, Maui-HI. Considering that after this one, we'll have another NW one Wednesday and yet another one for the weekend plus a moderate south swell, I would defenitely rank this one like the best May since I moved here. Read the reports down below and you'll remember why... Coab (click on a banner), please.

Sunday's condition at Hookipa. Some sets were fairly big and the wind was really gusty and full of holes. Nonetheless, Ulli rips a head high one.

Sunday, May 15, 2005

Sunday 5 15: 10am forecast

What can I say. I sailed Hookipa for 6 days in a row and it looks like I will keep doing that... Spring (and fall) time is when Hookipa can be shoulder to head high and Kanaha basically flat. So, there's a big difference in the fun you can have. Winter time, most of the time, Kanaha is better (for me, at least): big enough, no rocks/pros to deal with. Summer time, it's all flat and it doesn't make any difference (actually, I think that the wind swell wraps around the upper Kahana reef better the Point). Anyways, the trade winds will keep blowing and this afternoon there will be a new NW swell filling in. The NW buoy shows a promising 5 feet, 14 sec and the Waimea buoy is just starting to sense it with 1 foot, 16 sec, 310 degrees. It will build late today and it's going to be fun sailing for a couple of days. Then Wednesday another small NW will arrive (the storm is on the weather map today) and yet another one from the same direction during next weekend. Not a bad May for windsurfing on Maui's north shore.. Next weekend there will be also a moderate south swell, which could actually be just a small one for Maui, due to the usual shadowing effect of fuckin Kahoolawe. I'll be in Kauai, though, so for once I won't care!
Take care and COAB!

Here I am, sailing Hookipa on Saturday with the board I just bought at a swap meet. I always wanted to own a Sailboards Maui shaped by Dave Mel, but they are way too expensive. This 7.10 is quite old, but perfect shape and... 50 bucks!!! Fuckin' love it!

Thursday, May 12, 2005


My new Superfreak replacing the one that I destroyed yesterday... Thanks to Glenn at Hot Sails for the promptness.

Today's Hookipa conditions. Easy and fun.

Thursday 5 12: 7am forecast

More NW waves, a little smaller than yesterday: 3 feet, 11 sec, 315 degrees at the Waimea buoy. More good sailing action at Hookipa later in the afternoon. Hopefully, today I won't destroy mast and sail like I did yesterday... Coab, please.

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Wednesday 5-11: 11am report

So, there was this girl sitting on the beach. I go there and say:"I've been pondering if to go surfing or start talking to you, but I couldn't come up with a decision. So I thought about asking you! What would you recommend me to do?". You can guess what she answered by the following report...
Waves were waiste to shoulder high, some head high sets (see photo below). It was quite windy and bumpy. Surfing can be a very humbling experience! After 3 days of perfect waves at Dumps, just when you feel you got pretty damn good, here you go. A day like this and you feel like a cook again... just like with girls! Anyways, I think that windsurfing will be a hell lot of fun later on. The swell will build with the high tide (5pm) and it looks like the wind will blow despite of the weak pressure gradient (check the north pacific weather map with the link on the right). That's the result of the orientation the north shore, the Venturi (funnel) effect on the cliffs of Haleakala and the beautiful sunshine that heats up the land... and my heart. Geez, do we live in a beautiful island or what?
Hey, did you COAB? (Click On A Banner)

Hookipa. Wednesday morning 8am.

Wednesday 5-11: 7.20am forecast

Here it is. The NW swell forecasted last Sunday is here on time. The Waimea buoy shows 3 to 4 feet, 13 sec, 310 degrees. I didn't see it yet, but I'm pretty sure that means shoulder to head high at Hookipa. It's going to last 2/3 days and then it will be followed by a similar one from WNW around Sunday. Light winds in the morning. Enjoy it!
PS The last day shown by the model I use (Tuesday May 17th) shows a very nice fetch NNW of Hawaii that could send a fairly big one from that direction around Thursday/Friday next week. Too early to say, though. Don't get too excited...
Did you COAB?

Sunday, May 08, 2005

Sunday 5-8: 6pm forecast

Howzit everybody. The south swell was quite enjoyable, but now we'll have to wait a while before surfing our beautiful south shore again. Actually, there's a quite active storm in the Tasman sea with a wide, long fetch of strong winds, but it's aimed towards the south end of south america. A way smaller fetch is oriented towards us, but it's too far away and there's a bunch of islands on the way... we may still get something around May 15/16. A much closer fetch is modeled to form on May 12th, but the model doesn't tell yet how it is going to evolve. It's in a good area for surf production for Hawaii and it could send a swell around May 18th, but we will have to take a rain check on this (a wave check would be a more appropriate saying). The north Pacific is getting quite active too (for spring time). A storm started spinning yesterday NW of the islands and will send a small NW swell around Tuesday/Wednesday that will last 2/3 days. After 2/3 more days, another swell from WNW will arrive. It will be generated by a new storm that will spin off Japan and have a nice, long fetch aimed to a place north of Hawaii, but we'll still get something. Stay tuned for size tuning and arrival times as soon as the buoys will read something significative. Trades are on a downward trend towards light strenghts, but it's spring time in Maui. If it's sunny, it's gonna blow. Coab, please.

Thursday, May 05, 2005

thursday 5-5: 6.30 pm forecast/report

oh my. I'm so tired I can barely type. I surfed Dumps yesterday at sunset. It was great fun. Mostly head high, sometimes overhead. But the last 20 minutes of light, it got double overhead. I call it the sunset magic. I caught one of this bombs and made it all the way in. Once the beach, super stoked (I thought I caught the biggest wave of the day), I turn around and see this huge set coming in. It started to build at the rocky point and it started to break way outside the kiave tree, peeling perfectly to the left. Perhaps, the most beautiful waves I've ever seen. Unfortunately, everybody got caught on the inside and nobody was on them. Close to triple overhead. Too bad I didn't have the camera with me. I had it today though (see photos below). Quite smaller, but still a lot of fun. Understand why I'm tired? The peak of the swell was last night, but it's still hanging in with 4 feet, 14 sec at the buoys 51002 and 51003. Readings of the equator buoy, suggest a slow decline in the weekend. Maybe not big enough for the Wailea side anymore (maybe!!), but some small fun stuff on the Lahaina side, for sure.
No sign of the new NW swell at the buoy 51001, I guess it's for Saturday.
Looks like the wind is coming back and we'll have another NW swell later next week, while the south shore is going to be pretty flat. COAB (Click On A Banner), please.

funny. It seems like the guy with the longboard is running over a veeery tall guy duck diveing with flippers... Yeah, it was crowded, can you tell? Dumps. Did you like the pictures? Click on a banner, please. Thanks!

the only reason because I took this one is because I liked the bikini. Dumps, getting in the water off the rocks.

shortboard charger. Dumps.

longboard charger. Dumps.

overhead. Dumps.

how about this shorebreak wave at Makena?

this guy can say he had some air today...

serious bodyboard action at Makena

Monday, May 02, 2005

Tuesday 3 5. 6.30 am forecast

Howzit everybody. After a sweet weekend of glassy waves, the north shore is on the decline. The Waimea buoy is down to 3 feet, with a mix of three swells with directions from 285 to 320. Maybe a little leftover this morning, but that's it. Another NW medium swell will arrive Friday.
The south shore is about to go off. There's waiste high waves right now, but this evening a bigger swell will start to show up. The equator buoy is at 6 feet, 16 sec, 190 to 230 degrees. 6 feet is big enough not to be completely blocked by Kahoolawe. Wednesday and Thursday it's going to be really good. Waves will then get smaller all the way into the weekend. The first days of next week, the same storm (which is now spinning way east of New Zealand) will keep sending waves from a SE direction that could possible be blocked by the Big Island. We'll see. Trades are supposed to slowly pick up again towards Friday. Still mainly sea breeze tomorrow... but we're in Maui, you never know how strong the sea breeze can get... Click on a banner, please.

and that's how Hookipa looked like Sunday afternoon when we arrived back from Hana... epic. To see all the pictures of a fantastic weekend in Hana, click on the link to my photo web site on the right. But first, don't forget to click on a banner!!!

I did 4 miles like this to go surf Koki beach in Hana...

I'd rather catch a knee high left... still Hanamanou

Hanamanou's sick right. Friday 4-29 (it's not me!)