Honolua Bay, where the Billabong Pro Maui is currently taking place, is a tricky break to surf. Luckily, should you be the jammy one who's jetting off to Hawaii shortly, The Association of Surfing Professionals and last year's champ Jessi Miley-Dyer have penned a guide to surfing there...
Paddle outs: Getting out is a tiny bit of a mission because you have to scale the cliff to get down to the water and the track is muddy and slippery, especially when it rains. There are actually two spots: the beach, which can be the easiest, especially if it’s small or inconsistent, and another track where you can jump off the side of the rocks at the point. I personally like paddling off the beach because I’m a little uncool and jumping off rocks can be tricky.
Which waves to take: It sounds a little cliché, but every wave at Honolua is so good, it really doesn’t mater which one you decide to go. The reef here is really even and breaks into a deep channel so you rarely get closeouts. I think it’s really just waiting for the biggest one you can get off either the crowd or your opponent...
Lineup spots: There’re two waves to Honolua, coconuts and the cave. The cave is the better quality wave and the spot where you want to sit, in my opinion. You can basically just sit in line with the edge of the cliff face and pick off the set waves from there. You can go a little deeper, but not too much - if you sit too deep you’ll get caught behind the first whitewater and miss the first and best section of the wave, if you get around the whitewater at all.
Spots in the reef to look out for: As stupid as this sounds, the spot you’ve got to look out for is right where you paddle out. If you paddle out from the beach, on your right just next to the rocks it’s really shallow and also full of urchins. If you get caught paddling onto dry rock and have to stand up, there’s a chance you’re going to get something in your foot, or at least cut it.
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