Of course everyone of a certain age remembers the day J.F.K. was assassinated, and where they were. For me it was feeling helpless over breakfast on the North Shore, hearing it over the radio. After the realization that there was nothing we could do or say about the events, we went to look for surf. Sunset was about 6’ and weirdly sloppy, so we drove down to Laniakea. It was beyond all expectation. The waves were 15’ (Hawaiian), near glassy conditions, with a gentle offshore breeze. The walls seemed to be two hundred yards long. If you rode high in the wave the speed was unbelievable. It stayed like that all day. After three sessions, we drove back to Sunset exhausted. We just couldn’t surf anymore. In all the surf I’ve had over the years, that day stands out as exceptional. When Laniakea is like that, it surpasses everything else on the North Shore. IMHO.
Lani’s is one of my favorite spots. South winds, big north swell and you got the recipe for world class epic rights that dreams are made of. So far this season I got one solid 6’ morning going all the way thru just sheer perfection. Looking forward to the big, clean North that will come eventually… It always does…
Yup watched it on a black and white rabbit ear in Kaiserslauten Germany as an elementary school army brat first and only time I ever saw my dad come home and cry like a little kid.
All they did was just post JFK’s picture on the screen all day.
I remember them all…
And even today with the passing of people like Rell it feels the same deep down…
Lani’s was one of my all time faves when it isn’t crowded and under 10’ a long fun blast thorugh the sections. We’d drive up at night sleep in the van and dawn patrol it on weekends before the crowds… Needless to say unless your there at the right time, those days are long gone… Uncle Bill Paty has an estate somewhere near by and the meadowgold monkey cages were a good lunch time distraction.
In junior high (AP Gianini) all the cute girls just cried, and I thought …WTF…
Sneaked off to the beach at Taraval, where Jim and DanFoley were hanging out after skipping school entirely.
Watched them try to paddle out…waaay too hard, was consistent 5-7’, connecting outside all the way in, no backing off, no channels.
Some other’s showed up, we built a huge bonfire over 10’ tall and double that around from the cyprus tree branches that used to line OBSF.
One from a Floridian…have surfed Lani’s more than any other NS wave…epic RH walls.
Cheers
PS - Nov63? i was just about fully ripe as a newbor…
Hello Mr. Thraikill,
I was five years old and still pissing my pants and picking my nose on that day. I have no recollection of it although I still remember the smoke and fear during the Watts riots from that general time. My uncle, who died of cancer a year ago, told me shortly before he died that Nov. 22, l963 was about the worst day of his life. The man held the hopes of a lot of people I suppose. Mike