Basically, what happens during an El Niño year is that the wind directions and speeds change, causing the water temperatures to be thrown off in a variety of places. This makes for an abnormal amount of storms that are situated perfectly to throw large surf at the North Shore of Oahu and California. The North Shore will most likely be slammed by large swells from these storms frequently this year if this El Niño continues to develop the way it is.

One thing to be aware of is that constant big swell doesn’t always mean clean surf, and during an El Niño year the surf can be extra stormy, making for some not-so-good conditions for surfing. Regardless of what the conditions are like, I think it’s safe to say we’ll see some big waves this winter. Maybe this explains the consistent surf we’ve had early this season.

For more information about what is going on, check out Surfline’s feature on the developing situation.

The question I keep hearing around here is, “if the waves are this big now, what’s going to happen this winter?” The big wave surfing Mecca of the world might be trying to tell us something about this upcoming season. It’s a pretty exciting time to be here catching these early swells before the rest of the surfing world arrives in mid-November.

Check out some highlights from last season:

I like this one even better:

A lot of people aren’t aware of the role the sand plays out here on the North Shore. Places like Log Cabins, Ehukai Beach Park, Pupukea, and especially Pipeline and Backdoor, all depend on what the sand is doing on the shore and on the reef. The first big swell of each year usually moves a ton of sand around, forming sandbars and filling in holes on the reef, creating the waves that we’re longing for on this seven-mile stretch of coastline. Once the sand’s in place, the swells that arrive after will show us what the North Shore of Oahu is all about.

While we wait for that to happen, we need to make sure we are ready ourselves. Most important, we need to have our quiver of boards in order. Now’s a good time to get boards shaped so they are done no later than the end of October. If you’re unable to afford new boards, then October and November are the best times to go look for used boards at the local shops. As the pros come back in town for the contest season, they usually drop off their old boards at the shops, making for a good selection if you need to add a certain board to your quiver.

Most everyone who has stuck around here for the summer also needs to make sure they are in good shape. If you haven’t done much surfing in the summer, it can be hard to jump right into surfing big waves when the first swells arrive. Exercises that keep your arms, shoulders, and lungs strong will be best for preparing to surf the big waves of the North Shore.

Last, if you don’t live here, then you’d better start making your travel plans to get here. Waiting until the last minute can be expensive. Booking flights 2 to 3 months in advance is usually how you’ll find the cheapest flights to Oahu. I have been flying back and forth regularly and have learned this from experience. If you keep waiting for the prices to go down a little more once you’re into that 2-month region…good luck, cause they probably won’t.

For some good advice on traveling with surfboards, check out this post on The Surfing Blog:

http://www.thesurfingblog.com/surf-trips-handling-surfboard-fees