Surf: The Pacific Missile Range Base dominates the long and empty west coast beaches through Barking Sands up to Majors Bay and beyond to Polihale. Incredibly powerful beachbreaks with terrifying rips to match where 1 ride can equate to a long walk down the beach. Environment: In north swells, a right speeds down the reef at the end of the runway, requiring access passes from the military to go surf it. Surf: General: On the west side of Kauai, Mana Point is both a summertime and wintertime spot, as it picks up uninterrupted energy from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. NW-N swells will sweep down the beach with primarily rights, S-SW swells will sweep up with primarily lefts, and combo of the two will provide crossed up A-frames along the entire stretch. Because of its wide-angle exposure, Mana Point can become large in stronger swell events (especially in winter) and have strong currents. Tides: Low to medium Size: Chest high-2X overhead, but can hold even larger. Wind: Calm or offshore easterly wind (NE-E-SE). The prevailing ENE trades blow offshore most of the year. Swell: Combos; N-NW and S-SW Bottom: Reef Paddling: Can range from short/easy paddles when its small, and long/tiring paddles when big and consistent. Spot Rating: Can offer fun waves year-round, best on combo swells, minimal crowd, and clean most days of the year. Access: Easy. Enter the beach anywhere off the road. Find a good peak and paddle out. Crowds: Crowd Factor: Usually minimal Local Vibe: None to very mellow. Be cool and keep it that way. Environment: Pristine most of the time. Farmland runoff does occur during significant rains. Hazards: Currents, sharks, closeouts on the head when its very consistent. Season: Year-round as this spot is well exposed to the North and South Pacific swells.