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Alligator Rock

Alligator Rock, North Shore

Large right-hand pit located on the Waimea side of the north shore. Doesn't start breaking 'till at least "four feet" and even then it can be very frustrating as the wave will pop up and temp you only to have you paddle madly as the wave backs off. At six feet on a west swell the outer reef will focus the wave energy onto the inner ledge at aligator proper. This causes the wave to horseshoe around the reef and throw out into an "A-frame" that will gladly let you identify the surfers at "marijuana's" on the opposite side of the peak as the wave pitches. At six to eight feet this wave will get the adrenaline glands going as waves stack on the horizon as they hit the outer reef attempting to break and then disappear into deeper water and then reappear as a guttering bowling peak that is nothing less than top to bottom. With a heavy verticle drop in the pit and a long grinding ride into the channel the wave at alligators is not for the timid, the shy or people who in general are not used to seeing large volumes of water in motion. However for those that want a challenging wave with a bit of juice and don't like the ridiculous board lengths found at sunset this wave will deliver.

OUTSIDE ALLIGATOR ROCK

Between "leftovers" and "alligator rock" directly out from the channel that separates the two is a large patch of elevated reef triangular in shape about a quarter of a mile out. This is the same reef that focuses wave energy onto the inner breaks depending on swell angle form the north or west or north-west. In any case when large swell over ten feet start battering the inner breaks under a seething mass of white water the outer reef here begins to show itself. At ten feet its a slam of wave mush. At 15ft from the north the wave will begin to actually peel and at 20ft from the north the wave turns into a 200 yard right-hander that is without a section. As west swells don't do much except drop a 20ft wave at once, a north or even the misto north north-east large swell will make this wave world class. Unfortunately this wave has proven difficult to paddle into and has become semi-known as a "tow-in" spot so you might want to attempt this wave with a jet ski.