Log Cabins Surf Guide

Log Cabins Surf Guide

A twisted man's alternative to the Pipeline-to-OTW stretch, this 200-yard strip of sand and lava reef can change your life on the right day -- that is, if you're still alive at the end. Log Cabins runs directly to the west of a large pile of rocks, known imaginatively as Rockpile, that flanks the western end of Off-The-Wall. Swell hits Logs from all directions, but much of the energy of longer period and more westerly swells are refracted away toward Pipeline by the reef of Outer Log Cabins. Meanwhile, a more northerly swell will be directed straight into the Logs and Rockpiles stretch with scary power.

Wedged-up peaks hit the Logs shoreline largely at random, and the bottom varies hugely -- flat lava tabletops sit right next to pure sand, which in turn can peel away in an instant to reveal hideous rock spikes. It's this uneven bottom quality that makes Log Cabins even heavier than Pipe. Huge tubes can turn into six-lipped death bowls -- seemingly innocent sections will suddenly hit a rock ledge and double-suck, then back off and land flat, smashing everything in range. On smaller days, Logs can forget its evil nature and produce a skatepark-like wave.