Honolua Bay Surf Guide

Honolua Bay Surf Guide

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:

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;

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;

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;

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.