As you’ve no doubt heard by now, some of the Hawaiian Islands were slammed by torrential rains a while back. Haleiwa flooded and Maui just about did, too. Rivers went brown, lineups went wild. It’s not like California or New Jersey, though, where surfing after a heavy rain is discouraged. The runoff in Hawaii isn’t quite as toxic as the stuff from Los Angeles or the Tri-State area, so surfing when the rivers are pumping isn’t as likely to give you a staph infection up behind an eyeball.
The Waimea River, just like all the other rivers, was full to the brim. When it breaches the beach, it creates that little river wave that people like Jamie O’Brien and Ben Gravy enjoy so much, but it also drives piles of sand into the bay itself. And thus, a sandbar is created. And thus, surfers are attracted. Like seagulls at a dump, if there’s a wave, someone’s going to surf it. In this case, it’s Nathan Florence and a handful of friends, who find themselves inside some incredibly brown barrels.
