I didn't go to Hawaii in November this year. I didn't go in December either. After spending three weeks at my favorite place in the world, surfing really good waves with hardly anyone around, I just didn't feel like fighting the circus-like atmosphere of the North Shore. Then, when a few younger surfer girls from my hometown called, asking for advice on where to stay on the North Shore in January, I offered to go with them and play tour guide.
They'd been wondering about hostels and hotels, I rented a two bedroom house across the street from Rocky Point with an amazing view of Sunset (the wave), and sunset (the daily solar occurence). Oftentimes, it takes a whole month of dedication to get a few good days of surf on the North Shore, but we got really lucky. It was good every single day, medium sized, decent winds, a little rain, but a fair amount of sun. We even got a couple of slightly bigger days to get the adrenaline flowing, and had a small day to use an as excuse to jump off the rock at Waimea.
Most of all, I appreciated the beauty of winter Mecca without the normal distaste for all the other hordes of pilgrims. Sure, it was still crowded, but instead of every ripping young surfer from Australia, California, South Africa and Brazil, it was just local rippers, traveling randoms, and University of Hawaii students. The vibe was welcoming and friendly. I did miss my crazy friends, but all the extra waves I got were well worth it.
