Spent this past February hanging at my favorite island: Maui. Of course I surfed while there, even though the swell and conditions weren't epic. Still, a bad day surfing on Maui beats a great day working on the mainland.....

One of the breaks I visit when on the Valley Isle is a small reef to beach break in an isolated corner of Maui. We call it "Lemmings" for the surfers who blindly follow other surfers into the lineup. This particular day was a great example; you can see the waves and ocean were ugly and torn asunder. In spite of the awful conditions a good number of wave riders were getting waves.

There's a small shelf-shaped reef at Lemmings that's not far from shore. Surfers and spongers catch the ragged wave peaks as they approach from deep water and slam onto the edge of this reef. The faces are not at all refined as they roll through the break zone. Most waves are barely peeling and instead crumble as they break. Still, it's a fun wave and can go off when most other spots in the area aren't surfable.

If you are lucky enough to catch a wave at the edge of the reef and ride it through the destruction zone, you will get a chance to enter the closeout barrel that is the wave's last gasp as it bangs on the sandy shore. Body surfers and spongers sometimes ride these suicide tubes exclusively, eschewing the deeper water waves entirely.

In this manner several different crowds of wave riders can coexist in a small compact break zone. I've gotten lots of skin rubbed from my body as I roll onto the sandy beach at the end of a ride.

Since Lemmings is not one of the premier breaks on Maui, it can be less crowded than other spots. Even though the waves aren't nearly so refined as Honolua Bay (for example), they are still a lot of fun. So if you are willing to surf a lesser spot, this can be a good choice. On the other hand, the reef is small and focused, so Lemmings gets crowded with only a small number of surfers. As with other Maui breaks, the locals rule and haoles get a lower priority.

If you paddle out at Lemmings, be prepared to take your humble position at the low end of the priority list. The locals know the break intimately, and they surf fairly but aggressively. If you wait your turn and show some respect you can get some waves, but don't expect to shred and dominate like the folks who live and surf there on a regular basis. In this regard Lemmings is much like many other Maui breaks.

In February I surfed a sess or two at Lemmings. As is the DogMan custom, dawn provided the best opportunity for uncrowded waves. After an hour or so in the water other surfers paddled out to get some fun, and I'd retire to the beach to snap some pix of the action for PWR and DMC readers. Apart from the two DogMan surfing pix, all the snaps are from a windy afternoon when I was touring the island sans board. Hard to believe the ugly conditions still provided some fun rides for those in the water.

CU Out There,

DogMan