An historic El Niño has been churning out storm after storm in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. While the beefed-up tropical storms have been destructive on the Hawaiian Islands, the powerful easterly swells have also opened the door for new surfing opportunities on the less-surfed east sides of the islands.
Zeke Lau drove to eastern Oahu during one such tropical swell recently, checking the right-hander at Makapu’u — a wave he said is typically blown out by easterly winds, but was surfable this day with northerly winds and easterly waves.
The wind “is actually blowing up into the wave, into the face, which is really good for airs,” Lau said. “So we’ll see if I can still do an air or not.”
The wave was less than perfect, transitioning from fat to steep sections. But luckily Lau is talented enough to squeeze out its full potential. He found tubes, lips for turns, and the huge air he was looking for.
Lau said he hadn’t surfed in a while and felt nerve pain shoot down into his leg during the session, so he might not be surfing again anytime soon. We’ll see if he keeps his word because, as El Niño cooks ocean temperatures, more swells like this one could be the way.
