Waves of the North Shore Series 9 – Log Cabins

Feb 26, 2024

Blog series for the best surf spots on North Shore: Log Cabins

This winter, Hawaiian South Shore will be presenting a series of blogs about the best surf spots on the North Shore, sharing a bit of their history, how they break, and what makes them tick. From small longboard waves to the original big wave spot—not to mention the deadliest barrel on the planet—the Seven-Mile Miracle has it all. Whether you are new to the Country or have surfed these waves your entire life, join us as we dive into the best spots on the North Shore.

Photo from Hawaiianbeachrentals.com

When North Swells Awaken Log Cabins

Located west of Off-the-Wall, but before you get to Ke Iki, Log Cabins is a heavy, shallow peak with hollow rights and lefts that tend to work best on a northerly swell. Of course, most of the North Shore doesn’t really work on a straight north swell, so the fact that Log Cabins does makes it one of the only surfable spots when there’s no west in the water. Something about the way the Log Cabins reef sticks out attracts the north swell and turns it into the best barrel on the Seven-Mile Miracle on what otherwise is a pretty lackluster swell direction.

Outer Log Cabins - The North Shore's Big Wave Beast

Far more famous than Log Cabins, however, is its bigger, scarier brother known as Outer Log Cabins. Outer Logs is arguably the biggest big wave spot on the North Shore. When the swell goes into the XXL range—to the point that most of the big wave spots are completely out of control—Outer Logs handles the swell and turns into a 50- to 70-foot behemoth.

Mostly a tow wave, Outer Logs captured the world’s imagination during the Code Black swell in the mid-1990s, when the waves on the North Shore were so big that the Coast Guard closed the ocean to all watercraft. Ken Bradshaw and his crew took their skis out of Haleiwa Harbor early in the morning, before the Code Black was called, and Ken towed into what may have been the biggest wave ever ridden at that point.

XXL Swells Bring Outer Logs to Life

Since then, Outer Logs pops up on the radar every few years, when the swell is in the “death to all humans” range. Big wave heroes like former world champion Jamie Sterling are regularly out there, towing into enormous peaks and testing themselves against waves that are barely survivable.

Log Cabins Big Wave Hawaii

Photo by: vlj27_photo

Every now and then, someone tries to paddle Outer Logs—although doing so without ski assistance isn’t a good idea. Eli Olson may have ridden the best paddle wave out there, 5 or 10 years ago, stroking into a legitimate 50-foot+ freak show after being put into position by a ski (in what is called ski-assisted paddle).

This Peak is Not for the Faint of Heart

Whether you are paddling 4- to 6-foot Logs on a north swell or towing 60-footers during an XL swell event, this is an expert-only wave that tests the best in the world. Approach at your own risk!