CC BY-SA 3.0, Mat-fa, Wikimedia CommonsBeach· Oahu· Hawaii
Sunset Beach and Banzai Pipeline
21° 39.9′ N · 158° 3.1′ W
The two most famous surf breaks on earth sit a mile apart on the North Shore: Pipeline's hollow left over a shallow, cavernous reef off Ehukai Beach Park, and Sunset's big open-ocean peaks just north. In winter you watch from the sand; in summer the same water can be glassy enough to swim.
Practical
Position is Ehukai Beach Park (OpenStreetMap), fronting Pipeline (Wikipedia 21.664,-158.054); Sunset Beach is at 21.6709,-158.0457. Pipeline has three reefs that break progressively farther out as swells grow (Second Reef from about 12 ft, Third Reef in giant swells) and has killed numerous surfers and photographers. Sunset Beach Park has showers, restrooms, parking and lifeguards; the Sunset Rip runs on every big swell and a strong alongshore current flows even on calm-looking days. Summer is usually calm for swimming and snorkeling; check with lifeguards. Not an anchorage: the coast here is fringed with reefs and the Coast Pilot advises staying at least 1 mile offshore. Ted's Bakery is just inland of Sunset Beach.
Best for
Watching world-class winter surf; summer swims
Season
Big surf about October-April; calm in summer
Nearby
- Shark's Cove (Pupukea Marine Life Conservation District)1 NM away
- Ted's Bakery (Sunset Beach)1.1 NM away
- Foodland Pupukea (Waimea Bay)1.2 NM away
- Three Tables1.3 NM away
- Puu o Mahuka Heiau State Historic Site1.5 NM away
- Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational (Waimea Bay)1.6 NM away
- Waimea Bay Summer Anchorage1.6 NM away
- Waimea Valley1.7 NM away