Wow Butch, that’s agreat thing to do. So many places I haven’t surfed for so many years. A bunch of us Kamehameha guys used to camp out at Keeau down by the slab of reef when I was in High School. We had a few friends from the west side that would come down and surf with us. We’d see Tim Tucker there a lot too. Yokes, Keaau, Makaha, Maili Pt, Green Lantern, Tracks, and Campbells were all places we surfed on the west side.
Ali’i beach park, Puaena Pt, Lani’s, Chuns, Left Overs, Aligator rock, Marijuanas, and Uppers were our favorite north side spots, but we also camped in the bushes at Kammies in the early/mid 70’s and surfed from Kammies all the way down to Rocky Point. Ehukai Beach park was a fun place too and the showers were right there. We used to surf at Lani’s or Chuns and then wash off in the artesian springs that flow out from the rocks by the road.
In town we’d surf Concessions or Tennis Courts, sometimes at Bowls, Rock Pile, and Kaisers. Queens and Publics in Waikiki, and Diamond Cliffs a lot.
I had friends and relatives living in Aina Haina and Wailupi, so we’d surf Wailupi and Aina Haina a lot when I was in high school. Bones at Wailupi is a great wave. My friend from High School lived right there and we could go through a gate and jump off a pier right into Bones. My Aina Haina friends surf at Secrets a lot, but my cousins surfed Ranch House side more. My Aina Haina friends were also into Sandy’s and Makapuu, but mostly Sandy’s.
My dad was retired ARMY, so we used to surf North Beach a lot too. I’ve seen that place going off once, just amazing when it’s really good. Lines to the horizon and every wave was a barrel.
I wish I lived right at the beach like before and just get into the water everyday, small or not. That was such a good time. Longboards when it’s zero to one foot, and you just wait for that one wave to make your day. I never wandered away to other spots just stayed at Courts or maybe Big Lefts/Baby Haleiwa if it was breaking. Baby Haleiwa is still a great place to surf to get away from the crowds, but it needs a bit more swell.
I remember seeing Charlie M at Courts in the 80’s he had an orange board.
After going through this thread again, I realized that the guy I remembered living across the street from Uncle Sonny’s house at Shark Country was Nelson Kang. I always thought he was about my age, give or take 2 or 3 years, not 10 years plus. I remember his mom worked at the EB Elem School Cafeteria. He used to surf out at SC. A really mellow guy, pretty quite, but always very friendly to us. He’d come through Uncle Sonny’s gate to get to the beach and say hi. I always thought they lived next to where Issac T’s uncle lived. I always thought there was another house on the Papipi Rd side across from Auntie Emma’s lot and Francis Ching’s lot.
Take care everyone, Aloha.
