User:Eriktb/Ala Moana Bowls

Ala Moana Bowls aka Bowls, is a surf break located in Hawaii, off the Ala Wai Harbor in Waikiki on O`ahu’s South Shore. Bowls is accredited by many as the birthplace of tube riding (when a surfer rides inside the curl of a wave). It is also one of the most popular and aggressive breaks on the south shore.

The location’s name Bowls comes from the way the wave quickly forms into a hollow and thick barrel in its main section. It’s a man made wave which was created after the dredging and construction of the Ala Wai harbor in 1952. Before the dredging the reef underneath the break was much wider causing the waves to close out and was considered unappealing by most surfers at the time.

The crowd at the break consists of anyone from beginning tourists to aggressive pros, riding longboards, stand up paddleboards, shortboards, and bodyboards. On a day with a strong south swell the takeoff zone can get very crowded and aggressive with localism.

Many surf competitions take place at Bowls during the summer because of the southern swells that hit Hawaii during the summer months. It has hosted numerous state surfing championships as well as the US Surfing Championships in ‘76, ‘92, and ’96. Some of the annual competitions include the HSA State Surfing Championship, ASP Mens World Qualifying Series , and the Surf Into Summer Contest (Amateur).

Over 30 surf films have been filmed at Ala Moana Bowls including Endless Summer and Tales of the Seven Seas.