Banzai Pipeline

Located just off Ehukai Beach Park, Pipeline is known best for the winter months when the waves average around 10 feet (3 meters) and can reach over 25 feet (7.6 meters). You can find experienced and pro surfers in the water at this time, and several surfing competitions are held here every year, including the Billabong Pipe Masters challenge. For everyone else, the spectacle is worth watching from the safety of land.

Many Oahu sightseeing tours, including photo tours, North Shore tours, and Circle Island tours, plan a stop here, making it easy to combine Pipeline with other top attractions such as Hanauma Bay and Diamond Head, and can include a stop for snorkeling. Opt for a private tour to customize your itinerary. For a different perspective, take to the air on an island helicopter tour.

• Only the most advanced surfers should attempt to ride these waves.
• Do not get in the water or stand too close to the water when the swells are up in the winter.
• Even in summer conditions, check with a lifeguard before getting in the water.
• Amenities at Ehukai Beach include lifeguards, restrooms, showers, picnic tables, and free parking.

Ehukai Beach is located north of Haleiwa, between Sunset Beach Park and Waimea Beach Park. Look for the Sunset Beach Elementary School on the mauka (mountain) side of Kamehameha Highway (Hwy 83). Ehukai Beach is across the street. You can also take the Wahiawa Circle Isle Bus (bus #52).

Visit between October and March to see Pipeline. Check the weather and surf reports, and expect large crowds on big swell days, and during competitions. The waves disappear in the summer, so visitors can actually get in the water.

Stretching for 7 miles (11 kilometers) between Haleiwa Beach Park and Sunset Beach, the Seven Mile Miracle offers more than 30 surf spots, spanning beach breaks, reef breaks, point breaks, and more. Pipeline may be the most famous, but you can also find notable waves such as Left Overs, Backdoor, Off the Wall, and Monster Munch.