Hawaii
I recently had the opportunity to visit Oahu with one of my sailing jobs and was fortunate to get a few sessions prone foiling and winging. I borrowed a Cloud IX setup from a friend and the older P27 wing made for a great beginner surf foil setup. Their wind is notoriously fickle this time of year but I packed a 5m wing just in case.
The first few days didn’t feature much for wind or swell, so we spent most of our time hiking and snorkeling. I had never been to Hawaii and was blown away by how close the ocean was to the mountains. We went for sunrise hikes most days, often on stunning ridge-line trails. There was a big swell approaching and it almost allowed a big wave competition that hadn’t run since 2016, the Eddie Aikau, to take place while we were there. Unfortunately the wind forecast spoiled the competition plans, but we were still treated to a big swell on the north shore and this brought great surf foil conditions to the more sheltered areas.
Wednesday the 11th was the first day of this swell and we spent the morning at Castles Beach in Kailua. The sandy bottom and relatively gentle surf break made for great beginner prone foil conditions and I was finally able to practice again after an 8 month break. It took me a few waves, but by the end of the session I was standing up consistently and starting to kick out at the end of waves to pump out to the next one. After a couple hours the wind built and we were ready to pump our wings. Unfortunately a rain cell came through right as we paddled out, and we all were stuck waiting for wind to power up onto foil. After a brief delay, the wind returned and we all foiled for about an hour with very inconsistent wind. Despite the unfavorable conditions, I could see a lot of potential for wing foiling and can’t wait to make a return trip.
I returned for more practice the next morning and was catching waves more consistently than the day before. Knowing that there was no wind in the forecast allowed me to focus purely on surf foiling and I spent two hours in the water honing my technique. By the end of the session, I felt my wave selection was improving and I was spending much less energy per wave surfed. I still need the ideal section with a gentle slope and some whitewater pushing me, but I’m no longer wasting energy paddling for waves that won’t work for my skillset. The takeoff is starting to feel more natural and I’m usually able to ride waves just like I do with a wing in my hand.
The last day brought one final opportunity for prone practice and I tried a new location closer to our housing. Tonggs beach is a reef break close to Diamond Head on the south side of Oahu and is popular for SUP, surf and prone foil. Conditions were glassy during my entire morning session and I was stoked that I was standing up and surfing almost every wave I attempted. After about 10 waves I was exhausted and started to fall often, but was already happy with my progression at that point and didn’t mind calling it a trip. The ideal conditions in Hawaii helped to jumpstart my prone foil progression and I’m looking forward to using my skills at other locations soon.
I can’t wait to return to Hawaii and hope to make another trip as soon as next winter. Experiencing stunning morning hikes in the mountains followed immediately by playing in the warm ocean was unlike any place I’ve ever been before. I couldn’t get enough of the Foodland poke bowls and the apple bananas quickly became another favorite snack. I do hope there will be more wind during my next visit so I can experience a kitesurf session at Mokuleia Beach Park.
