North Shore 2009/10
Text & Photos: MASTERS/Lewhs.com

This winter was my first time over to Hawaii’’s legendary North Shore, AKA “The Rock,” and it was really a big eye opener. Growing up as a kid, every year you would see all these images and movies coming out focusing on the North Shore of Oahu. The first movie I remember that made me want to go there was the classic “North Shore.” Although a Hollywood production, it still paints a pretty good picture of the place, especially what it was like back when the film came out. That movie stands out to me today and while I was there I even got to watch it again. “When the wave breaks here, don’’t be there….”

I was lucky enough to be able to stay at the Jones’’ house, which is smack bang in front of Rocky Point. The backyard goes from grass to sand to the Rocky Point lineup…. What a place to stay! The level of surfing that goes down in front of that famous surf-headquarters home is mind blowing, not to mention the bikini girls that walk by regularly, surely enough to make your head turn, and in my case, my lens zoom in. With Pipe only a short few minutes walk away, what more could you ask for?

It was good to see Garut, Marlon and Rockstar Betet showing up at the Jones’ house. It really reminded me of being back in Bali. The Bali boys put on an amazing show in the Hawaiian surf, matching moves with the world’’s best and pulling it off with ease.

To me, shooting out there was a big learning curve, from my first swim out to Pipe, to getting washed in at Backdoor, I was on a crash course learning curve on the raw ocean power this place has. Take almost any surf condition outside of Hawaii you know - current, shorebreak, wave, wind, etc – and then times by 100. That’s sort of what the North Shore is like.
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