In summer, the North Shore is a more laid-back Hawaii, with residents moving languidly through life while avoiding the more hectic existence they perceive in the capital, Honolulu. But now that winter surf has returned, many give thanks for the storms that lash the Aleutian Islands 1,000 miles away. These winds generate the monster waves that cross the northern Pacific to challenge the world's best surfers.
Now through February, wave riders and surf watchers generally head for four main stretches of sand: Sunset Beach, Waimea Bay, Ali'i Beach Park, and Ehukai Beach Park. The latter is the home of the notorious Banzai Pipeline, where the large surf pounds in just a few shallow inches above a potentially bone-crunching coral reef. In winter, these waves are so treacherous they can scoop up casual strollers and carry them out to sea.
Pat Kelly, a senior lifeguard on the North Shore since 1979, said that every year lifeguards have to rescue fully clothed victims who have been captured by the ocean -- shoes, cameras, purses, and all -- as they were picking up shells or simply looking the other way at the wrong moment.
''People don't realize there are rogue waves that will come up, sometimes clear to the vegetation line, and will carry them out," Kelly said. ''When the waves are big, there is absolutely no place safe on the sand, so onlookers should stay on the grassy areas.
''Swimmers often make the mistake of entering the water at a point where the waves don't look so big," he said. ''But that's often where the rip current is, and if they aren't experienced, they may never get back to shore."
Professional surfers, however, live for the thrill of tackling the big waves.
''We're a lifestyle sport," said Randy Rarick, 55, one of Hawaii's legendary surfing champions from the 1970s. ''What separates surfing from the bat, ball, and stick-type sports is that here, you're interacting with Mother Nature. The unpredictability of things while riding a wave makes it like no other sport."
