Pumping Bellows

Hello all, it's the weekend!

After so many plans gone awry this week and the last, we finally had a nice weekend where the weather behaved and the surf was up.

Today, I ran up to Bellows Air Force Station over on the east side of the island. It's one of my family's favorite beaches and we've frequented here for as far back as I can remember. And as far back as I do remember, I caught waves here.

Looking south down the beach toward Makapu'u.

But first, a little history!

Bellows Air Force Station was once called Bellows Air Field, named after 2nd Lt. Franklin Bellows, a World War I hero. He died in 1918 performing a reconnaissance mission. The base has since shut down its flight lanes, though the Marines still perform amphibious maneuvers on the beach (which is why the public beach is closed on weekdays) among other things.

Marines at work, taken by yours truly.

These days, most folks tend to set up camp at Bellows over the weekend for some relaxation at camping sights or any of the cottages along the beach front.

I tend to visit Bellows when the waves are pumping, and they were today.

Up the northern end of the beach toward Kailua.

Bellows is a sandy-bottom shore break spot, great for boogey- and body-boarders and kayaking once you get past the breakers. The break rarely gets up past the double digits in height although there can be a first break much further out that requires fins to catch. Again, most folks tend to go out 20 or so yards and catch whatever rolls up. But today was wild.

I normally consult two sources for tides, wave heights, winds, conditions, before I head out: the newspaper and my Surfline app. The paper said 2-3, or chesthigh sets, while my app said the conditions were 3-4 and poor. When I got there the water was choppy, the sets often doubled up making waves unrideable, and there was a constant current to fight to keep in place. These conditions are NOT normal for Bellows. And I saw one wave--a freaking shore break wave--that had to have had at least an 8 foot face. That's RIDICULOUS!

Bellows is gentle. Sets are interspersed with lulls. It's a great spot for beginners. Some waves will allow the boarder to slice along the face. There can be Man o' War jellyfish, but it depends on the winds.

Today was rough, the waves were constantly pounding, I had to fight to stay lined up, and there were at least 2 jellyfish I spotted on the beach, 6 in the water. At least the sting-to-sighting ratio was 6 to 1. I think one branded my thigh brushing past, but the stingers were old because the throbbing only lasted about 15 minutes or so.

The Portuguese Man o' War are roughly the size of a quarter, their tentacles can be two feet long, and they STING! Photo from here.

I've been boogey-boarding a long time, enough to say I catch what I go for and I rarely get chopped. I got flipped twice off my board today, the waves were just that hairy. I lost a hair clip. I almost lost my rubber band. The tightly coiled rubber band holding back my hair. I mean that was just how wild it was today.

AND FUN!

It was wonderful to finally get a beach day after so many failed attempts to launch other plans. Sheesh.

Hopefully the weather will be kind next week and I can squeak in more outdoor activities. Wish me luck!

Happy Sunday!