Video: Historic Swell Slams Hawaii, Pro Surfers Go Survival Mode at Outer Reefs

Dashel Pierson
·2 min read
12

While most of the world was binge buying Black Friday deals, and simultaneously nursing a Thanksgiving hangover, the North Shore of Oahu went swell crazy.

It was huge; humungous; historically big.

Wash through sets closed out Waimea Bay at the peak of the swell. But, of course, there were some windows, and if you knew where to look, a few makeable waves to surf.

Mark Healey, Nathan Florence, Koa Rothman, and Eli Olson were some of the select few with the knowledge, the courage, and the jetskis find some rideable waves – primarily on Oahu’s Outer Reefs. And yet, it was sketchy stuff; Healey gave this preamble:

“So, um, this swell kind of snuck up on us. The same as the Eddie swell earlier this year. The storm was kind of far away. I didn’t really think it was going to be huge – maybe 15 or 18 feet. But it just hit on the buoys last night like a ton of bricks. Just…giant.

“There’s closeout sets at Waimea; water is washing all up on the Kam Highway; it’s really big; it’s 20 to 25 feet on the sets. We’re just doing the usual, schizophrenic figuring out where the right spot to be is at. I’m gonna go hop on a jetski and try and get some barrels.”

There weren’t a lot of waves made, as seen specifically by Koa Rothman and Nathan Florence’s clips above. But the determination was there – A+ for effort.

And it wasn’t just the Outer Reefs either. Some brave souls also attempted Waimea.

As Oahu Surf Films commented:

“Friday Morning turned out to be a lot bigger than originally forecasted with waves estimated to be at least 40 feet cresting the North Shore by 2am at the height of this swell. Fast Forward to 7am and thousands laid eyes on what turned out to be the biggest Swell the Hawaiian Islands has seen since the last Eddie Aikau Big Wave Competition in January 2023.”

Stay tuned for more this winter.

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