A-frame

Aaberg, Denny

Aaberg, Kemp

Abberton, Koby

Abbruzzi, Sid

Abellira, Reno

Abubo, Megan

academia and surfing

Adler, Tom

advertising and surfing

Aeder, Erik

aerial

Aguerre, Fernando

Aichner, Scott

Aikau, Clyde

Aikau, Eddie

Aipa, Ben

air-drop

airbrush

Airshow

Ala Moana

Alabama

alaia board

Alaska

alcohol and surfing

Alexander, Kala

Alexandre, João (Dapin)

Allen, Chuck

Alms, Paige

aloha shirt

Alter, Hobie

Alvarez, Pepe

Ancell, Kevin

Andaman Islands

Andersen, Lisa

Anderson, Craig

Anderson, Simon

Andino, Kolohe

Angel, Jose

angle

Angola

Angourie

Antarctica

Apocalypse Now

Arabian Sea

Aragon, Janice

Arakawa, Eric

Archbold, Matt

Arena, Eduardo

Ashton, Juan

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP)

Atlantic Ocean

August, Robert

Aurness, Rolf

Auster, Ken

Australia

Avalon, Frankie

Azores

backdoor

backside

backside attack, Pipeline

backwash

bail out

Bain, Rob

Baja California

Baker, Bernie

Baker, Grant “Twiggy”

Baker, Tim

Bali

Ball, John “Doc”

Ballard, Bill

Ballard, Rochelle

balsa

Baltic Sea

Banks, Jim

Barbados

Barilotti, Steve

Barland, Michel

Barreda, Sergio “Gordo”

Barry, Michael

Bartholomew, Wayne

Baxter, Jackie

Bay of Bengal

Beach Boys, The

Beacham, Debbie

beachboys

beachbreak

Beachcomber Bills Grand Prix

Beachley, Layne

beavertail

Becker, Phil

Bedford-Brown, Stuart

Belgium

Bells Beach

Bendall, Ma and Pa

Bennett, Barry

Benson, Becky

Benson, Blanche

Benson, Linda

Bermuda

Crowded, aggressively ridden, camera-friendly surf break on the North Shore of Oahu, between Sunset Beach and Pipeline. Rocky Point has been described as "the crossroads of the Pacific" and "Hawaii's most photographed wave." 

The surf here hits top form between October and March, when the swell is three- to six-foot. Left-breaking waves come off the east side of the point, and are best if the swell is from the west-northwest. Rights off the west side of the point require the swell to be from the north or northwest. Lefts and rights often break at the same time. A few times each year the surf at Rocky Point is perfect, but in general waves tend to shift and section off—particularly on the rights, as a well-shaped set of waves is often followed by a set of closeouts. The lava-rock reef is flat, with a few submerged rocks and boulders on the west side of the point. 

Barry Wilson, a 25-year-old pro surfer from Ventura, California, drowned at Rocky Point in 1990 when his surf leash got tangled on a rock and he was held underwater. Because the waves break close to shore and the lighting is often flawless, Rocky Point has for decades been a favorite with surf photographers, who line up like fence posts on both sides of the point when conditions are right. The cameras in turn bring out an international throng of media-hungry surfers. 

Rocky Point begins to lose form at six or eight foot, at which point attention shifts to any one of two dozen other North Shore breaks, much to the relief of those pro surfers who view a session at Rocky Point as a necessary career evil. "I hate Rocky Point," Hawaiian surfer Todd Chesser said in 1994. "I'm going to fill it up with kerosene and light a match." 

Rocky Point

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Encyclopedia of Surfing

History of Surfing

Videos

Encyclopedia of Surfing

History of Surfing

Videos