Surf Forecast  Honolua Bay

Honolua Bay surfspot characteristics

More about Honolua Bay surfspot

Classical outer island perfection that often makes it into the top 5 waves in the world list. It's combination of length and ultra round cylindrical sections set in the beautiful amphitheatre of the cliff-lined Honolua Bay make it a perennial favourite of all who are lucky enough to surf it. The first section, Coconuts, breaks in front of the cliffs with the most size, accompanied by the most wind as the trades are funnelled down the valley. It then wraps into the bay where it hits Outside, the next hollow section. It'll either result in a classic barrel or the lip will slam down and propel the unlucky towards the infamous Cave stretch, where many a surfboard met an untimely end in the pre-leash days! Cave is the hollowest and most crowded section, despite being a fair bit smaller than Coconuts and leads into the inner Keiki Bowl. The Bay works on NNE, N, NNW and W swell, while NW swells are blocked by Molokai unless it is big enough to wrap. Honolua is definately a wave for only the most experienced surfers.

General: Honolua Bay is not only the best wave in Maui, it is one of the best in the world. The northwestern coast of Maui is riddled with bays and crags that can produce all variety of great surf during the winter months, when the North Pacific is busy churning out storm after storm. But even a single-degree change in the angle of a coastline can make the difference between a good wave and a perfect wave. Honolua Bay has just that magical angle, producing a perfect righthander that can line up flawlessly in a series of barrel and turn sections for the better part of a quarter-mile. Like most high-quality pointbreaks, Honolua Bay is broken down into sections: </br></br> 1. Coconuts: The outermost takeoff zone on the point. As to be expected, the waves will be biggest here, but the wind will also be strongest; </br></br> 2. Outside: After hitting Coconuts, the wave begins to gather steam and form and will stand up into a hollow wall that offers the first of multiple barrel opportunities; </br></br> 3. Cave: The best, most popular and high-performance section of the wave. At Cave, wave height gives way to wave thickness as swell runs down the point, offering up the opportunity for the barrel of a lifetime. This section is named after the hole in the reef that gobbles surfers and surfboards with reckless abandon during big winter swells; </br></br> 4. Keiki Bowl: If you've made it through Cave on a proper set wave, you're probably burning off the steam of a deep barrel, which will get you into the next section, Keiki Bowl. Keiki is smaller, racy, and breaks over shallow, sharp reef -- a favorite of groms not quite ready for graduation to the outer takeoff zones. Tides: Medium Size: Head high-3X overhead-plus Wind: Calm or offshore from ENE to SE, with E to ESE as straight offshore. Swell: NNW to NNE is best to get in, NE is OK, and a very large and consistent NW swell (although shadowed by Molokai) will wrap plenty of energy in. Bottom: Reef Paddling: Long paddle back up the point after a long ride. Spot Rating: One of the world's best right pointbreaks, but is a bit fickle to catch pumping.

Best suited for avid to advanced surfers, and depends on size.

Easy. Park off the road anywhere along the bluff, but parking is a major issue when it's pumping.

Winter

Crowd Factor: Heavy when it's good Local Vibe: Usually intense when from fun to pumping, as there are lots of people. Humility and respect go a long way.

The intensity of the crowds almost matches the North Shore and the place gets packed when it's on with half the islands best surfers eager to get a piece of the action. Beware of urchins on the shallow reef in the bay.

Pristine.

Reef, crowd, current, sharks.