We had some incredible surf conditions at Pipeline last month.

The waves were enormous and barreling.

The surf was extremely treacherous though. Some sets that came in were unsurfable.

But when it was good, it was really good.

Pipeline is known as the best wave in world because of the perfect shape of it’s barrels and the danger involved in surfing here. The water is shallow and if you take a bad fall you can easily get slammed into the reef.

For spectators (like myself), it’s one of the best surf breaks because the waves break so close to the shore. You can see the action without needing binoculars and you can feel the power of the waves as they pound the coastline. Not only that, but Pipeline is easy to get to. It’s located at a Ehukai Beach Park on Oahu’s North Shore.

I drove up to the North Shore on Friday, December 28 and Sunday, December 30 to watch waves. I spent several hours watching surfers get barreled in the monster surf. This post contains the best photos I got over those two days. It was quite a show. A real “only in Hawaii” experience.

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Strong winds during the day form lines in the sand.

During the winter months, huge waves crash against the cliffs. The ocean engulfs the beach and carves caves into the young rock. In the summer, the caves offer shelter from the sun and wind.

Walk along the Na Pali Coast to the end of the beach for an amazing view.

But, don’t do what Cory’s doing here … you’ll give your friends a heart attack.

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When I got back from Kalalau I went to get a haircut. I told Hayleen, the lady that cuts my hair, about my trip and she said that Kalalau was one of her favorite places. She didn’t do the hike but she was able to see the Na Pali Coast from a cruise ship. She told me that when the ship got to Kalalau it slowed down and did a U-turn. Then they told everyone to go out on the observation deck. When Kalalau came into view the entire boat went silent. There was not a peep out of the couple thousand passengers on the deck. She said that even the babies were quiet. And then, after a few seconds passed, all you could hear was a barrage of *click-click-clicks* from cameras.

As you walk down the beach in Kalalau you feel like you’re in a different world. This was my favorite part of the trip. We walked the beach both days we were in Kalalau. We tried to soak it in as much as possible knowing that it would be quite some time before we would ever return.

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Pele’s Chair is the prominent rock formation that you can see while driving to the Windward side of Oahu. It overlooks a small beach called Alan Davis (named after a guy that owned a ton of land back in the day).

Alan Davis is a very popular beach with Windward side locals because of this pole. The kids here do crazy tricks off it. You’ve probably seen a bunch of pics on Facebook of your friends jumping off it. I know I have, and I’ve been wanting to go.

The chair and beach are easy to get to. You park in the same lot that takes you to the Makapu’u Lighthouse and tide pools and after a 10 minute walk, you’re at the beach. Last weekend, we wanted to go do something outdoorsy but we didn’t have all day. Coming out here fit the bill nicely.

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Ah, Sandy Beach. The most beautiful sandy bottom beach on the Southeast side of Oahu. It looks peaceful and serene here, but those who know this beach know that this is not the typical scene.

This is the typical scene. Utter chaos.

But on Saturday, some of the chaos was controlled. There was a bodysurfing competition and the islands best bodysurfers charged this infamous shore break.

Most of you probably know where it is, but if not, you can get to Sandy Beach (or just “Sandys”) by driving Eastbound for 25 minutes from Town. It’ll be the first beach you see after you pass Hanauma Bay. If you’re looking for somewhere to swim and sunbathe, you’ll probably want to look elsewhere. There are many better beaches for that. The parking lot is always full here, it’s not good for swimming and it’s swarming with genetically perfect local youths that will (unless you too have sub-5% body fat) make you feel like a fatty.

But if you surf, this place is awesome. And if you’re a bodysurfer or bodyboarder, this place is epic.

I cruised out here for a morning BBQ with some friends. The waves were too big for my taste on this day. I had my fins in my car and that’s where they stayed. My camera on the other hand got some good use. Check out the full post to see pics of some local men and women bodysurfers.

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I’ve seen Chinaman’s Hat (Mokoli’i Island) countless times while hiking, driving or swimming on the Windward side of Oahu. It’s the small island that looks like a rice picker hat. But up until a few of months ago, I had no idea you could walk out to it. Yep, you just drive out to Kualoa Regional Park, put on some old shoes and walk right out to it over the reef. You can only do this at low tide though. At low tide the water is waist high but at high tide it’ll be neck high or higher. You may have heard that there are supposedly hammerhead sharks all over these waters but we didn’t see any. Just don’t think about it when you walk back in the dark in neck deep water. And, um, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

On the back side of the island there’s a beautiful small cove with a tiny sandy beach. Cory, Luke, Troy, Jen, Dale, Jen, Reanne and I had been talking about trying to have a BBQ out there and a couple of weeks ago we finally made it happen. The experience of walking out to the island and being on your own secluded and private cove, plus Cory’s amazing cooking, made for a happy day indeed.

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Up on the North East point of Oahu, there’s an island shaped like a goat. It’s a few hundred yards out and when the tides are low you can simply walk to the island from the beach (wear some old shoes if you do). If the tides are a bit higher, it’s much easier and safer to paddle out using a body board or surfboard. After a fun rock climbing session in Mokule’ia, we made our way out here to relax and share a few brews on the beach. Of course, there are plenty of other beautiful beaches to relax on but there’s something a bit more special about sitting on a beach on what feels like your own private island. Especially when that island is shaped like a goat.

See also:

• Getting there: Goat Island sits off the beach at Malaekahana Sate Recreational Area. See map.
• More about Goat Island on HawaiiWeb.