Howzit North Shore! Hootah! First we had the Big Rains of December 2003 and now we are having the Big Surf of January 2004! At this deadline, at the end of the first week of the New Year… there have been a couple of good swells so far and some really Big Surf is forecast for the weekend and in the week to come. It’s about time, seeing as how the Fall Season was fairly lackluster in the Big Wave Department. Unfortunately, that’s what you get with a “La Nina” winter like we are having. Lots of rain and relatively smaller surf than in the average season on the North Shore. The good news is that when you have a “La Nina”, then another “El Nino” episode will surely follow in time… like a pendulum swings back and forth, to and fro… the weather patterns will revert again… and then the Big Surf will boom once more!

Along with all the rain has come some unusually high amounts of water run-off from the rivers and streams, and then some! We have had “muddy waters” for days and weeks on end, particularly on the west side of the Kaukonahua Stream rivermouth area. This is not uncommon though, particularly in the winter-time rainy season… and we would have to count ourselves lucky… considering the fact that most of the Kaneohe-Kailua area beaches and a large degree of the entire South Shore area beaches from Hawaii Kai to Honolulu Harbor were heavily polluted due to high levels of bacteria associated with the heavy rains. For some time… in most of these these areas, the beaches were closed and posted with warning signs from state health officials due to dangerously high pollution levels from sewage spills and urban runoff. Yuck! In a Thursday, Jan. 8th article in the “Honolulu Advertiser” it said that “three other areas also on the list (of polluted waters) have warning signs posted year-round because of chronic pollution from various sources: Ala Wai Canal and Kalihi and Nuuanu streams.” (Honolulu Advertiser Quote)

Lucky we live North Shore, or so I thought until reading the article by Senator Robert Bunda on page 12 of the last issue of North Shore News. Apparently, Lake Wilson in Wahiawa saw dangerously high levels of water during the December rains which almost resulted in an evacuation order for the Waialua area due to an increased risk of a catastrophic dam failure. “Failure of the dam could result in immediate flooding of a major portion of Waialua and possibly spread toward Haleiwa. The state is therefore proposing that the water level be steadily decreased by 7.5 feet below the spillway level. Once this measure is approved, Dole Foods will begin draining the water, a process that may take anywhere from 2-4 weeks, depending on weather conditions. There will be consequences: the ocean water off the Waialua-Haleiwa coast will be muddy, similar to the aftermath of a rainstorm.” (NSN Quote) Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water!? Yeech!

Enough with the doom and gloom already! How about the surf? Well, the 34th Annual Haleiwa International Open finally finished up on the last day of its holding period… which was Sunday, January 4th. First-time contest director of the event, Jason Shibata did a good job of holding the whole thing together… considering that the surf was fairly uncooperative the whole time and it rained likecats and dogs a LOT! Such is the situation of a surf contest director sometimes, given a certain amount of days to run and no more. Just ask Randy Rarick! The weather can be a cruel mistress. Anyway, thanks to Surf N Sea, Mabo, Jason, the “Friends of Alii Beach” and so many more too numerous to list. Mahalo! Results for Shortboards: Boys/ Tonino Benson… Jr.Mens/ Jensen Hassett… Mens/ Robin Johnston… Masters/ Christian Galdeano… Srs/ Richard Beebe… Japan Mens/ Nick Mita… Results for Longboards: Mens/ Ned Snow… Masters/ Leonard Foster Jr… Srs/ Leonard Foster Sr… GrandMasters/Rodney Nakasato… Womens/ Sarah Covell.

So much more to report, but “time and tide wait for no man”. Who said that? Cortes Bank had epic huge surf recently, as did a Mysto Reef in Oregon. Check Towsurfer.com for the photos! Brazilian Adriano De Souza claimed the ASP World Title in the under 21 division by winning the Billabong Jr. Champs in Australia. Hawaiian TJ Barron didn’t win but did real well AND helped rescue a tourist while coming in from his last heat! Much more contest results and stuff next time! If you want to have a real laugh, you can catch me hamming it up with “Rock Warrior” Jamie DeMattoff on the GREAT new ROCK station 99.5 BOB-FM every weekday on the 3:50PM afternoon surf news network surf report. We get a little crazier every day! “If you turn your knob to BOB, it will sound so good… you’ll break it off, and just plain leave it on 99.5 BOB-FM!” Aloha… Ace Cool!