Hookipa Surfing, Quick Facts
Breaks: Pavillions, Middles, Greentrees, Point, Lanes.
Break Type:Reef, rock bottom, point break, lefts, rights.
Best For: Advanced surfers, longboarders, shortboarders.
Attributes: Can have good barrel sections, lippy, fast, can have long rides.
Shoreline: Corse white sand, reef, rocks.
Lifeguard: Yes.
Access: Easy, paved road.
Best Swell Directions? North, Northwest, Northeast.
Hazards: Large waves, shallow reef, strong currents, localism.
Where to get into the water? It is normally easiest to get in the water on either the far left or right sides of the beach. Normally, there are rip tides along the edges of the bay that can help to pull you out towards the lineup.
More Details About The Breaks
“Pavilions” is the most popular wave at Hookipa. When the rest of the beach is flat you can still normally find a small right peeling in at Pavilions. The wave will remain rideable and wont close out until the surf gets quite large.
“Middles” is the left in the middle of the bay that will end in a connection to Pavilions. On good days this wave can have long rides and the crowd is generally not as thick as it is at Pavilions.
“Point” is the right on the far left side of the bay. This wave is oftentimes very sectiony but with the right conditions it can peel all the way through. The benefit of the points large sections is that the abundance of steep wave face provides plenty of room to generate enough speed to do just about anything you want.
“Lanes” is the left that is located just outside the far left side of the bay. This area is often times a favorite of longboarders and stand up paddle boarders. It often times looks like it is a bit more mellow then the other breaks at Hookipa, but dont let it fool you Lanes has plenty of power to hold you down and a reef that is filled with all kinds of cracks and holes to get stuck in.
Spectating Advice
Unless you’re an advanced surfer you should probably stick to spectating while youre at Hookipa. The cliffs that surround the bay provide wonderful views of the breaks and the parking lot at the lookout above Pavilions has a paved parking lot with views of all of the breaks below. If youre planning on spending a day in Paia or traveling the road to Hana you should incorporate a stop at the Hookipa lookout into your plans.
How do you get to Hookipa?
Getting to Hookipa is very easy. It is located a little less then 10 minutes past Paia going east on the Hana Highway. You’ll know your getting close when you see the famous Mama’s Fish House restaurant on the left side of the road. The entrance to the park will be on the far east side of the beach. We recommend stopping in the lookout parking lot that will be on your right after you make the initial left turn to get into the park. From the elevated vantage point of the lookout parking lot you’ll be able to get a good idea of where you want to go from there.