Has anyone gone to the new b.s. beach at Pohoiki?

[alohanaia]

@markd: I never saw news, just heard first hand from the fellow. Alcohol was involved, he yelled all night for help. Drunk 'friends' didn't hear nor realize he was gone til the next day. This was at MacK (sign used to say Make...), there are pukas and tubes under the whole place, iwi too.

[MarkD]

Thanks. MacKenzie State Park.

[kimo wires]

Someone will find a way thru. I don't want to be the first. Surf will still be uncrowded after a trail is established.

[MarkD]

We can be thankful for the survival of Pohoiki, but it is a pretty small bay. Looks like we'll have a nice new warm pool at the boat ramp (for some time), but the surfing outlook will likely be chronic overcrowding when full road access is restored.

The lost "Shacks" surfing area represented about 40% of the Pohoiki-Shacks surfing zone; add in the loss of "Secrets" next to Ahalanui and that totals a 50% loss.

And this whole area represented only about 1/3 of the Puna surfing resources available pre-Kalapana flows. The very expansive "Left Point to Drainpipes zone," was more than a mile in breath and regularly had waves breaking 200 yards out to sea. Puna's surfing opportunities are now at about 20% of what existed 3 decades ago, with wave quality being mediocre.

Madam Pele might have provided some new surfing sites (to be discovered shortly), but it seems probable that any new Puna breaks will resemble "3rd Bay" just beyond Pohoiki: Waves breaking barely 30 yards from the coastline.

Footage of highly dangerous 3rd bay from 2015. Failure to "kick out" (exit the wave) promptly means a likely trip onto sharp rocks. Shoreline shown briefly @ 1:01.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc1NnZ1z1sM

[ElysianWort]

I was thinking something similar Mark. It might not be such a hot surf spot anymore because of all the topographical changes. Waves will probably all break differently.

[kimo wires]

1st bay rights is the only spot that looks like it might still work.
3rd bay is for the expert crazy.