Vern bodyboarding video below -
From the time I was 19 to 22 I was bodyboarding increasingly bigger waves on Oahu while I was stationed there in the Air Force. My first introduction to bodyboarding was at Makapu’u in 4-5 foot Hawaiian sized waves (8-10 foot any other scale). To say it was exhilarating would be the understatement of my life. I was addicted from day 1 as I paddled around on my $20 foam board and tried to catch a couple waves without fins or more than the 2 sentence instructions I got from my friend Bob.
I spent a couple hours in the water – catching a few waves that took me over 100 meters toward the beach.
I immediately went out and bought a $120 RUSS TURBO board in Waikiki, some Makapu’u fins and spent a few hundred hours in the water bodyboarding and having the time of my life over the years.
Later in Florida I’d chase hurricane swells -usually on the east coast – and almost drown a couple times there from not knowing the surf – and from the choppiness and inconsistency of it all. Still fun – but not like Hawaii’s waves.
In 2002 I moved back to Hawaii for 2 years and renewed my passion for my favorite activity in the entire world… Bodyboarding is that for me – it’s the ultimate fun… I hope you try it someday – safely.
Video of me bodyboarding 3 waves at Bellows Air Force Station after camping overnight with friends. These are nice size for Bellows, but not big waves. These are pretty safe there at Bellows. Never saw anyone drown there.
Make sure you read my article below the video – about my 2 near death bodyboarding experiences on Oahu. Good stuff!
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Related posts:
- My 2 Near-Death Bodyboarding Experiences in Oahu Hawaii’s Big Surf
- Best Beach on Oahu Island, Hawaii – Bellows Beach
- Amazing Experience for Anyone in the Ocean: Bodyboarding!
- Bellows Beach + 10 More Military Family Lodging Spots
- Oahu Island Overview: What is Oahu Like?
- Makapu’u Beach Park, Oahu Island, Honolulu, Hawaii
- Big Waves at Waimea Bay, Oahu
Wow, that looks like a lot of fun! I didn’t realize there was such a sport as body boarding (boogie boards, yes, but didn’t realize you could do it more “professionallly” than that with a real board and fins and stuff). I always knew I’d never be able to surf standing up but this looks do-able. Not in those really big waves for me though!
Next time you go to Maui you can check out the public beach access area at the Ka’anapali ali’i. Near Sheraton too – between. There’s a good spot with some weak waves and nobody giving anybody hassle… lol. Nice spot to learn. :) Thanks for writing MauiGirl!
Yeah Brah! Lookin’ good.