Northwest Swells To Hit 12 Feet In Mid-April
North Shore Surf News
Aloha friends, Here’s my first surf column to keep you stoked and in the lineup.
For those who aren’t aware, I’m the chief surfing officer of Surf News Network (SSN), Hawaii’s No. 1 surf website, and part of the longest-running surf report network on planet Earth. We serve up surf for radio and TV statewide.
SSN started in 1976 with “Surfer Joe” Teipel delivering reports for several radio stations. I was program director at Camp Mokuleia when Joe grabbed me for some surf reporting on stations such as KPOI. Needless to say, I said yes straight up, and next thing I know, Joe and I are tag-teaming on sponsors and growing our media connections.
We kicked off 596-SURF in the mid-’80s, and it’s been the go-to hotline for the most popular and accurate surf updates with more than 5,000 callers a day.
The number is the official hotline for many local contests, including Vans Triple Crown. I bought the company from Surfer Joe in 1990, and I have continued riding this wild media wave ever since, all with the help of the best surf ohana anyone could ask for. Thank you, team!
Surfnewsnetwork.com is a full-service surf site with current wave conditions, winds, weather and forecasts for each dimension. It’s statewide. We have cams, photos, a premium option and great feature stories that bring Hawaii’s surf community together.
April’s surf has been mediocre with the exception of a really nice 3to 5-foot East swell April 4-7.
As far as quality town and country swells, we will have to wait a little longer for real action, but it is coming! Indeed, northwest shores will see a winter-caliber swell of at least 12 feet Hawaii Scale (20-foot-plus faces) hitting April 16.
Many thought North Shore was going to sleep, but nope! Town comes up from a nice Taz Sea storm (in between Australia and
New Zealand), and surf along Leeward shores should reach 2-4 feet solid from the southwest filling in Monday, April 20, and lasting several days. April is a time of transition from northwest swells to south swells, and this means we can get waves around the compass. Nice!
Quick kudos to Ewa Beach boy Keanu Asing (21), who just got on the World Surfing League (WSL) and thus fulfilled a lifelong dream.
He is the newest Hawaiian on the WSL, and getting there is no easy task, as the field has more talent than ever in the history of the Sport of Kings.
Keanu is stocky and powerful, with a low center of gravity, whipping power hacks that throw high spray and praise. He’s a meat-and-potatoes competitor, very calculating, focused and fast. Most importantly, he is humble and really well-liked as a human being. His work ethic is unsurpassed.
We wish Keanu the best, and you can bet all of Hawaii will be rooting for him.
Until next week, happy wave trails!
