Beachbreak Fun (Pinetrees)

Disillusioned with the south shore of Kauai, as crowded as Santa Cruz and not half as pretty, I decided to try the north coast since small swells were running toward both the top and the bottom of the island. Hanalei Bay, aka Bali Hai, is one of the most beautiful curves of coastline in the world. The swell was small, but at Pinetrees it was forming into some fun-sized waves, and there were plenty of the aforementioned pine trees to shade Scott as he read a novel on the beach while I surfed.

I'd stopped by Tamba Surf Company for a new leash on the way north, since the ankle strap on the one the 6'10" came with was dangerously frayed and close to breaking. The new leash was seriously kinked, wrapping around my leg, getting underfoot and snagging between my toes at inopportune times. Note to self: If I can't bring my own board, at least bring my own leash. Nevertheless, I had a blast on the 2-4' waves rolling through at Pinetrees.

There was a bit of a crowd, but enough kooks catching nothing and enough space to spread out that I got my fair share. Surfing in warm water was heaven, even if the break didn't offer a floor show as there was no fish-filled reef below, just clear blue-green water over sand. I wore a 1 mil rashguard to protect against rib bruising, and it did the trick. The Tamba board proved a close cousin of Emm, and I dialed into it for many good rides, mostly lefts. Surfing nearshore in the shallows reminded me of days at the Jetty without the inherent chill. And as it's Spring in NorCal, it was one of my better sessions in quite a while.

After a tasty lunch at the Mediterranean Gourmet, Scott and I returned to Pinetrees and went sponging, waiting for waves by standing almost in the surfing lineup. We got a lot of fun rides though I'd rather have been on my feet. I caught one sectiony wave with a surfer but I went left and she went right on a collision course, so I straightened out and ended the ride in the shallows simultaneously. I also had some success at body surfing, to my surprise. We returned to the condo waterlogged, saltwater-encrusted, sandy and content.

Kauai Ocean Explorer: North shore surf increased Wed & is currently in the 3-5' range. East winds becoming stronger into this weekend, with associated choppy wind-swell at all East-exposed areas. Hanalei 1-3 ft. 5-10 kt. Surfline: SSE Southern Hemi swell set up waist-shoulder high surf and some better sets for the good south exposures. A new NW swell fill in with waist-shoulder high waves at top north exposed spots. Buoy 51201: (Wave) SWELL: 1.6 ft at 12.5 s NW 39 / WIND WAVE: 2.0 ft at 9.9 s NNW / WVHT: 2.6 ft / APD: 6.3 s / MWD: 319° (Met) WVHT: 2.6 ft / DPD: 13.0 s / WTMP: 78.6° F. Tide: 0' rising slightly.