Surfing

[wildemoose]

Where are the best places to surf on the big island? What about safe swimming for the kids? Any beaches or hotspots for shark sightings?

[Francesca]

There are tons of tiger sharks at Honolii. My husband was out there one day and there was a 15 foot tiger. Very scary.

[Kahunascott]

Lots of stink eye toooooooo.

[jm minica]

Honoli'i is probably the most consistant break on the Island, probably the best spot on the east side for the less experienced surfer, and a very beutiful park. There is a river that flows into the bay, and when its rainy and the waters get muddy, there is an increased dager for sharks. As far as stink eye goes, I've not experienced that there. It is generally pretty crowded now a days, and I'm sure the folks that have been surfing there for years aren't all that happy about the crowds, so that may be the cause of the stink eye. But this is the case with all of the surf breaks on the Island now. Isaac Hale Beach Park is another good surf/swim spot with lefts, rights, points and reef breaks. Keokaha offers several beach parks that can produce surfable waves if the swell is right, as well as great snorkeling/swimming. Ka'awa beach, which is between Punalu'u and Whittington beach parks, is a black sand beach that gets some really nice barrels. There is a spot called Secrets that is between Isaac Hale and the public hot pond, but it's a pretty gnarly break that I would only suggest to the most competant of surfers. As far as sharks go, I haven't personally seen a shark in many years, and I go out looking for them. They are there, and the Tiger sharks can be very aggresive, but if you follow the basic safety tips of: avoid murky waters, avoid the water when it's not daylight; then you should be fine. Seems like the shark attacks always happen on Maui, it's been a long time since I can rememer an attack here. That's about it for the east side, but there are many other spots around the island, and if you are interested in learning more feel free to email me: jm_minica@yahoo.com.
Aloha,
Mark

[wildemoose]

What is stink eye? I've come across that saying before....not sure on the correct meaning. My husband LOVES to surf so we'll be at the beaches ALOT.

[lotus]

Stink eye is another way of saying "dirty looks" or unfriendly eye contact....

[Greg]

Knowing proper surf protocals (manners) helps to avoid "stink eye". Smile, show respect, the person deepest (closest to the break) on the wave has right of way; don't "drop in" on them. I think that generally speaking, it's best for newcomers to avoid crowds and go out weekdays early in the morning, or late afternoon.

[Beachboy]

rule of thumb when surfing new spots. Always sit and check surf out first. Make sure it's a break you can handle. Once you feel comfortable with that. Then it's time to check out the lineup. You need to establish right away who are the best surfers at the break, and who is the biggest "Moke", at the break too. Then when you paddle out into the lineup you know who to avoid. Always give waves to the best surfer & the biggest surfer.

Nothing worse than getting "cracks" just because you want to surf a new surf break!

[Guest]

How is this story of Oahu Surfer Joey Cones latest trip to Jakarta!

..."They had a confrontation with some of the natives," said Joe Cones, Joey Cones' father.

Joey Cones and his friend were followed back to their rented house.

"A few punches, three or four punches were exchanged. All of a sudden, there's like 75 natives show up at the house with machetes," said Joe Cones. "They captured them in the house and kept them captive about 10 or 12 hours and came in and beat them from time to time and stuff like this."...

*edited because first article is no longer available. Changed URL of link.

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In Escrow

[Andrew]

What exactly does this anecdote have to do with Puna, The Big Island, or even Hawaii for that matter?

Andrew