Surfin' The Big Island: Kona Decoys

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Surfin' The Big Island: Kona Decoys

This is a photo essay of a popular surf break near Kailua Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. I call it "Kona Decoys" for the same reason I call a popular Santa Cruz surf break "Decoys." Folks will sit on surf boards in the lineup even when there are absolutely no waves at all. Maybe they hope to be the one to catch the first wave of a new swell. Maybe they just like to sit on their boards in the water at this spot.... As usual, click on the thumbnails to load the big pix in a new window.

Overview of the break; a flat day. See the landmark doll house church overlooking the beach to the right. The beach is poplar with sun tanners, snorkelers, and swimmers. There's a good sized cove that is rimmed on the outside by a reef. Outside the reef lies the surf zone. It's a bit of a paddle from shore to get to the lineup.

You can go right or you can go left on this reef. The lefts are faster, more critical, but both sides are fun. These photos were taken with an extreme telephoto lens; the break is a long way from the shore. The lens and the bright bright sun washed out the white water details. Shudda used a polarizing filter to help overcome this. Oh well, next time.