Log Cabins

Surf Guide

A twisted man's alternative to the Pipeline-to-OTW stretch, this 200-yard strip of sand and lava reef can change your life on the right day -- that is, if you're still alive at the end. Log Cabins runs directly to the west of a large pile of rocks, known imaginatively as Rockpile, that flanks the western end of Off-The-Wall. The beach is broad and flat, tucked away behind bushes lining the highway, which makes it one of the most appealing sand stretches on the North Shore. Swell hits Logs from all directions, but a west is drawn away toward Pipeline by the Outer Log Cabins reef refraction; a north does exactly the opposite, focusing into Logs with scary power. Some of the north will also be focused onto the Rockpile peak reef some 250 yards offshore, a difficult and sometimes very dangerous wave that should be avoided by all but the highly experienced, especially in swells over eight feet. Wedged-up peaks hit the Logs shoreline largely at random, and the bottom varies hugely -- flat lava tabletops sit right next to pure sand, which in turn can peel away in an instant to reveal hideous rock spikes. It's this uneven bottom quality that makes Log Cabins even heavier than Pipe. Huge tubes can turn into six-lipped death bowls -- seemingly innocent sections will suddenly hit a rock ledge and double-suck, then back off and land flat, smashing everything in range. It is a great training ground for the Masters, if you're a super skilled pro, because after this place at eight feet, the Banzai will really be a cakewalk. On smaller days, Logs can forget its evil nature and produce a skatepark-like wave for the many bodyboarders who spill over from the breaks to the north.