Art of wave riding

This is a classic "Sandys" day with steep wave faces, strong undertow and formidable shore breaks that can wreak havoc on the body for the inexperienced and unlucky individual. Notice how close the breaks are to shore? Of all the beaches on the "south side," Sandy's breaks are one of the most challenging; fun to watch but reserved for the skilled veteran. Over the years, people (locals and visitors alike) have suffered from broken backs, necks, collar bones, legs and even died as a result of brain injury. When I was in high school, I had a classmate who died while body surfing here. Twenty times more rescues are performed here than in Waikiki, the most heavily used beach on the island.

Not far from here is another beach that is probably just as beautiful, not as crowded as Waikiki, and much safer for the inexperienced to do some ocean wave riding. If you are planning to visit the islands and want to know some safer beaches to play in, email me.
The absence of continental shelfs surrounding the islands as compared with our surfing neighbors in California makes hawaiian waves much more powerful and steep due to less dissipation of energy from the ocean bottom.

The type of board used in the above image is called by various names including sponge board, body board, or boogie board. People will lie, kneel and even stand on these short boards with no skegs (not to be mistaken for the surfboard with skegs).

On a final note, before venturing into the water on any beach in the islands, observe from shore for a bit or talk to the lifeguard before going in since waves come in sets and the last thing you want is to get caught in between a big set. Tomorrow, I'll show you the sandy beach!