Big waves are for sissies: Ride the monster swells of Oahu (John Nauka)

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Monster waves. Huge wipeouts. Hawaii is, of course, America's surfing Mecca, and the North Shore of Oahu is the state's Holy Grail. Seven miles northeast of Haleiwa is a wide stretch of beach along Kamehameha Highway that includes parks like Sunset Beach, Ehukai Beach, and Pupukea Beach. And in winter, the really big surf rolls in. The hottest place to board? Just west of Ehukai Beach Park; here you'll find the much celebrated Banzai Pipeline, a spot where the shallow water and coral shelf combine to create powerful tubular waves that resemble pipes, thus giving the place its name. When the surf is calm, this stretch of beach can be good for swimming. But if the surf's up, beware! The Pipeline at full strength is unforgiving, even for the pros.