Guide
Snorkelling Shark's Cove Without Getting Hurt
Five months of the best shore snorkelling on this side of Oʻahu, and seven months of water that has killed people. The whole guide is about telling which one you are looking at.
9 min read
Pete Sorensen
Surf & Ocean Editor
Beat: Best Time to Visit, Beaches, Snorkelling
Pete checks the buoys before the weather app and has watched fifteen winters arrive on this coast. He covers the water: the swell calendar, the contest windows, where a beginner should genuinely learn, and the summer months when Pūpūkea becomes the best shore snorkelling on this side of Oʻahu. He will tell you plainly when to stay out.
2 guides · 4 news posts
Last updatedPete's most recent update to this site was .
Long-form
Guides by Pete Sorensen
Reported guides to The North Shore, each with its own publication and last-updated date.
FeaturedGuide
Winter and Summer on the North Shore: What the Surf Season Means
The same sand that is a family beach in July closes to swimmers in January. Learning which coast you are standing on is the single most useful thing a visitor here can do.
10 min read
News desk
News under Pete Sorensen's byline
Shorter, dated pieces about what is changing in The North Shore.
How this was written. News published under Pete Sorensen's byline was drafted by machine from primary sources — operator notices, government and municipal releases, published schedules — and every factual claim in it was matched to one of those sources before it published. A North Shore Guide editor can change or pull any of it. Our editorial standards.
FeaturedSeasonal
The Summer Window at Pūpūkea Is Open
Five months of shallow, clear, fish-heavy water inside a protected district — and the same rocks that killed people in February.
Event
Contest Season Runs on Waiting Periods, Not Dates
Nobody can tell you in August which day a contest will run. Events hold a window and call it on the swell, which is why booking a trip around a date does not work.
FeaturedSeasonal
Winter Swell Is Back, and the Beaches Change With It
The same sand that was a family beach in September becomes a spectator sport. Lifeguards close water access, and the shorebreak alone puts people in hospital.
Seasonal
Koholā Season: Whales Pass This Coast From December
Oʻahu is not Maui Nui, but koholā pass this coast all winter and the headlands make them free to watch. The approach rules apply to paddleboards as well as boats.