Waimea

For a long time I have wanted to swim out to Waimea Bay and shoot photographs. Today I got to tick that bucket list box. OK, it wasn’t 30 foot…it was 15 foot with a few sneaker sets…but it was still a pretty cool thing to do in life.

Waimea Bay is the birth place of big wave surfing. It’s just so happens to be a very pretty place also with crystal blue water and backed by a Jurassic Park-look-a-like valley. Most of the time Waimea Bay is dead flat and a swimmers paradise. But with the rogue swells of the Hawaiian winter she awakes and huge waves break in the Northern corner. The wave comes from the deep and stands tall. You will need a very big board to get down the steep face. (Not much under 10 footers). A lot of people use wetties with buoyancy compartments – just to shoot you up to the surface fast in a hold down situation.

From a shooting perspective its relatively safe when you’re out the back. There is a decent channel and your only risk is a clean up set which will close out the entire bay. Needs to be 20 foot plus for that to happen. The hardest part about it all is the shore break. Good timing is essential. All day long people are getting axed on the shorey. Trying to punch through that much water with big cameras can be a challenge…that’s OK…keeps the shooting crowds down. Once you’re through the shorey it’s a decent swim out to the waves, especially with so much water moving around…you kinda feel like a little ant in a whirlpool. The light at sunset time is epic at Waimea – waves or no waves. If you visit Oahu be sure to check it.

Mahalo :: uge