Dropping In

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Friday - March 05, 2005

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The North Shore Tow-in Championship requires
25-foot waves

Stoked! Here I am … in the middle of the Pacific Ocean ... in the middle of the decade … writing about my favorite subject … Surfing!

First Wave … we’ve already seen an record-breaking season thanks to Mother Nature and three surfers … one from the West side and two from Kauai. Two N/W swells reached 25 “Big Hawaiian” feet (40-foot faces) before the end of December, two more 20- and 25-foot days pounded us by the middle of January … all this has occurred way before the big wave season ended Monday … Add Sunny Garcia, who won his sixth Triple Crown … then add Andy Irons who won his third consecutive world title! Now finish off the incredible with Andy’s younger brother, Bruce Irons. Bruce won the Quiksilver Big Wave Invite Dec. 15 at Waimea Bay, upsetting the seasoned big-wave rider ranks. None reading this may ever witness such natural and athletic phenomena sideby- side again in a lifetime. Very cool.

Second Wave … the first annual North Shore Tow-In Championships is scheduled to go big in High Surf Warning material (25-foot faces minimum) between now and the end of March) … It’s an “outer reef” “mobile” event and will go-off between “Avalanche” outside of Haleiwa harbor, and “Outer Log Cabins” outside Pipeline … There are towin events everywhere you’d expect them: Jaws on Maui, Mavericks in California, Cortez Banks, 100 miles off San Diego, and Todos Santos in Mexico … everywhere except the famed NORTH SHORE … until this year.

Third Wave … Oh yes, there’s the surf itself … the one that starts it all for us surfers … Don’t look for the kind of heights you just read about above … We’ll be fortunate if we see a couple more “high surf warning” days by the end of the month … you’ll most likely be riding several more 6- to 12- foot swells on the northern exposures … Out on the wild West Side you’ll be treated to plenty fun-size waves … perfect for the Buffalo Big Board Surfing Classic held on a couple weekends at Makaha Beach. … Town began to show signs of life early this week … expect more over the next four weeks …and out toward Sandy’s and Makapu‘u … our wave warriors may ride up to 3-footers for the weekend … So stay wet and stay deep … and I’ll catch you back here next issue … I’m G.Q. droppin’ in for you!

Gary Kewley is the president of the Surf News Network .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)