Hawaii '69 fornt coverDecorative magazine overlayDecorative magazine overlay

Hawaii '69

Publication
Surfing World (13.4) - Volume 13, Issue 4
Year
1970

Winter in Hawaii starts the day summer vacation is over. The mass of kooks and kids go back to school, and all of a sudden things aren't so crowded. Late August early September are usually the months for Laniakea. Pre-winter north swells pumping through with unreal 6 — 12' lines. But '69 didn't seem to want to cooperate. South shore shut off as expected and everyone was primed and ready for some juice. But it didn't even make an attempt. Frustration set in by early October with no good days anywhere.

And then it happened. With a bang. Full on North shore, power, size, speed, shape, stoking surf. October moved through with 4 heavy N.W. to West swells. Making back door Pipeline the crowd spot with Sunset the survival test. The surf never went flat and would come up to 15', go down to 4' go up to 12', down to 5', up-down, but never out. People were so on, things were insane. Pipeline with Jock, Farrant, Blears, Trier, Baxter, Tiger and a truck load of others. Unreal things being done and fantastic advances in equipment.

November rolled in with the swells, getting progressively stronger and larger. Good days at Sunset with Hakman looking the hottest of his career. Jocko slipping down 12' faces, Barry Kanaiaupuni with take-offs so late he was hid under the lip.

Waimea broke mid-November with clean 16' walls. Keith Pauli broke his board in 8 pieces on the 2nd wave Clyde Aikau ripping turns off the bottom. Jojo Perrin riding waves like it was Malibu. Keith later weaving in and out on a borrowed board.

And then it came December 1st and the biggest surf ever recorded by the weather bureau. Fifty foot waves pounded the North shore through the night with half a dozen houses completely destroyed and countless others moved off their foundations and damaged. Next day was the best big day at Makaha in 10 years. Twenty foot waves off the point with glassy conditions. Jim Blears riding backside off the Bowl. Ben Aipa pure power. Buzzy Trent on his 1 2' gun. Greg Noll, Fred Hemmings, Charlie Galanto, Downing, and every other big wave rider in Hawaii. Californian Rolf Aurness looking unreal with as much aggression as anyone.

It dropped on the 3rd, then came back up Thursday, Dec. 4th with the biggest waves in the history of Makaha. Keith Paull, Bobby Cloutier, The Bull, Aurness and only a couple of others were game to go out. 20'— 30' waves tubing from the Point with lips throwing out 30 yards. Greg Noll took off on the largest wave of his career, easily 30 foot and into oblivion. Ended up a mile down the beach and a broken board.

The Makaha open surfing contest (not to be confused with the International) showed the introduction of sideslipping and 360°'s as a new trend for American surfing. December is the month of crowds galore and surfers from around the globe converging on Hawaii. The North shore was the insanity spot with people everywhere. But during December, storms screw up most of the North Shore and it's the month for Makaha. Fantastic performance waves plus good big waves.

However, due to the influx of surfers, the annual Duke Kanahamoku Classic is held, and usually at Sunset. This year the Duke suffered from political aspects, bad waves, and generally bad thoughts. With the TV contracts dictating the moves, none of the contestants were too happy about surfing junk waves, even with $1,000 in prizemoney. But somehow they got it over and the results were fair enough to cancel a little of the disapproval and Cabell well-earned his 1st, with Strauch and Aikau showing Hawaiians know Hawaii surf only too well.

The Makaha International was as it is every year except this year—fairer. Good consistent riding made it easier for everyone to stomach the whole scene. The men's finals being the only discrepancies to some people, but nevertheless all in all I felt for once Makaha lived up to the image it should have. Perhaps it was because they left the boob-tube coverage out this year.

1969 finished up with Waimea breaking and giving a lot of guys a happy look into the New Year. Looking back over the first half of winter was a period of difficult advancement, especially in equipment changes.

Coming up next: Hawaii 1970.

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