Banzai Pipeline

There were a couple of places I definitely wanted to see while visiting Hawaii and this was one of them.  This is Ehukai Beach Park on O'ahu's North Shore, and the location of The Banzai Pipeline, one of the most famous surf reef breaks in the world.  This yellow surfboard signals that is the location of one of the lifeguard stations.

A reef break is an area in the ocean where waves start to break once they reach the shallows of a reef. Pipeline is notorious for huge waves which break in shallow water just above a sharp and cavernous reef, forming large, hollow, thick curls of water that surfers can tube ride.  Waves reach heights of 9 to 12 feet and above, and people come here from all over the world to surf these monsters.  This is the actual beach which is the location of the Banzai Pipeline.  Guess what?  There were no ocean swells, so the water was flat as a pancake.  The big waves usually form starting in November and on through winter.  Here is a link to a YouTube video of Banzai Pipeline and surfers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0Z4vSrF8dc

We stopped to talk to a couple of lifeguards on the beaches, and they were so friendly and happy to explain some of the stories of this famous beach and of the history of surfing, and of the Pipeline.  This is Johnny, who has lived here all his life.  He is the son of a famous father who was a surfer and diver.  Talking to people like Johnny made the trip such a rich experience.