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Fours Overhead + lefts reform in front of Fort DeRussy / Seldom good The fourth surf site from east to west on the reef that begins off the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel and ends at the Kaiser Channel. The three that precede it are Populars, Paradise, and Number Threes. Windsurfers use the site during kona or southerly winds. Also known as Fours. (from John Clark's Hawai'i Place Names) |
| It was in 2004. I was already an avid swimmer and was just getting into bodysurfing when I took my first trip to Waikiki. The first thing I did was to check out the waves at Fours. Even though it was too shallow and not breaking right for bodysurfing, I didn't care. I just wanted to be in the tropical waters. When I walked back to the hotel to get a towel the guy who was working the booth asked how the water was. "It's always good," I replied. He smiled and asked where I was from. "California," I told him, "but my girlfriend and I just moved to Kona on the Big Island." He asked if I wanted to use a longboard. I admitted to him I had no idea how to surf and he said, "Well, you happen to be in the best spot on the planet to learn." He even offered me a Locals Only discount which meant I could use it for free. What could I do but agree? For an hour I cruised around on the longboard missing countless waves. I was tired but happy just to be on the water staring at Waikiki's amazing shoreline. I could also smell the resorts breakfast buffet being cooked up. Feeling hungry I decided to head in. It was this moment when something in the universe clicked into place. A wave picked me up as I paddled. I pushed myself up and hopped to my feet. Lo and behold, I was riding my first wave. The wave just kept going and going and I heard this Yeeeha! came out from somewhere deep within me. I'll never forget how amazing that first ride was. Now when I think about who I am, I always include the ocean. And I will forever remember Fours. H.P. Mandrake, 2009
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