Slideshows - 5 Days at Waimea Bay

January 7th started it all. John Crittenden deepest gets shoulder hopped. All images by Kelly Cestari

It’s not only rogue sets and party waves you have to wary of its the random board too.

Jarred Hancox takes the safe shoulder hop while Daniel Skaf performs a 6 point swan dive

You can sit as deep as you like and there will always be someone wanting on, Kris Oros gets up as others are already in the trough.

Michael Collins snagged one of the better solo waves of the day.

January 11th saw some sets close to Eddie size and me opting for the safety of terra ferma while Kahea Hart got all aquatic.

Andy Marr, deepest yellow board, guides Torrey Meister down the face on his first ever session at The Bay.

Brasillian Stephan Figueirdo free falling on one of the Eddie size sets of the day.

An unknown takes the shoulder hop to a new level while Jersey James Hick sets a line of avoidance.

Torrey Meister ventured out for his maiden session on one of the biggest days of the season and looked pretty comfortable with a seasoned stance.

Andy Marr lets his surfing do the talking.

January 12th saw sunnier skies and decrease in swell which meant and increase in party waves

Despite a severe drop in swell some still saw fit to ride their 12 million foot rhino chasers.

While searching for speed in the flats Geoff Auberlen was unaware of a near decapitation.

A lot of girls have been charging Waimea lately.

Even with smaller sets some waves managed to escape unridden, or were they left unridden?

January 17th produced a bump in swell for Marc Collins and Paul Watterau to share a ride.

A lot of party waves are ridden on the “smaller” days, Jersey James Hick drops in on Andy Marr, middle, and an unknown.

After snapping her board, returning on a rescue board to fetch the other half, she was meet by our kind hearted Andy Marr interrupt his 6hr session to go and give her a new board.

Broken boards and long swims but the girls continue to charge Waimea.

Frank Solomon arrived at midnight slept for a few hours then shared a wave with Molokai paddle champion Jamie Mitchell.

Bart Willems is another South African doing the big wave thing overseas and managed to snag his fair share of solo waves.

Jamie Mitchell deepest dodging stray boards and shoulder hoppers all while navigating the troughs.

Tandem surfing of a different kind.

To get a solo wave sometimes you have to want that which others done, Jersey James Hick waited while the others scratched for the horizon and was rewarded for his efforts

January 18th was the final day of the 5 day feast

Bart Willems steps over the ledge for another solo jive.

Chris Owens sat deepest coming close to weaving his way into a Waimea keg.

I’m not sure who the youngest surfer at Waimea is but Ivan Florence is in good standing for the title.

John John was out there sitting deep finding faces to turn on.

There are a few things about Waimea that will never change. #1 The Church, you may not be religious but when you snap a board or leash you paddle to church.

#2 The Crowd Factor, on the day of days there will always be a crowd which on the smaller more fun days doubles if not triples in numbers.

#3 The Lifeguards, they may humiliate you for pure entertainment but you can count on them when the time comes

#4 Closeout Sets, you will know it is a solid swell when The Bay gets steam rolled by white wash.

#5 The Beauty, first visit or fiftieth visit the sheer beauty and spiritual nature of Waimea will always give you goose bumps.

#6 The Shorebreak, it hasn’t been itself in the last few years but the shorey will always be there for body surfs or kamakazi bodyboarders.

#7 The Inside Ledge, appealing but uninviting

#8 Carnage, it is secretly what all spectators are waiting for.

#9 The Wipeout, honestly a spectacular wipeout is just rewarding as a splendid ride. Both will go down in the history books, just as Flea.