A Local’s Guide To Haleiwa

Haleiwa is the closest thing to the North Shore’s downtown. It’s the economic heart of the area, and one of the best places to surf, grab food, and check out core local businesses and cultural happenings. Also, Crispy Grindz.

The wave at Haleiwa is just as important to the North Shore. It’s where most Oahu kids catch their first waves and where they first learn to compete. It’s one of the best training grounds for heavy waves on the planet, while also being one of the best high-performance waves in Hawaii.

Last year we met one of Haleiwa’s own, Bettylou Sakura Johnson, who at the time was only 15 years old and too young to compete in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. This year, not only is she a Triple Crown threat, but she’s also part of the biggest qualifying rookie class the CT’s ever seen, after winning the Haleiwa Challenger series event 100 yards from her front door. She gave us a run around the town, with insider tips on what to do, where to eat, and where to grab a new leash if yours snaps in the lineup.

Cut from different cloth, but still closely connected to the town and waves of Haleiwa, is the underground talent of Ku’i’o’kalani Young. Kuio currently lives on Kauai, where he runs a plant nursery and a digital marketing agency, but he grew up splitting his time between the outer island and Haleiwa. The guy absolutely charges, goes a million miles an hour at every ramp he sees, has proper Hawaiian rail game, and ain’t no slouch when it comes to Hawaiian surfing history.

This is a section of our weekly North Shore news show, The Pick-Up. A Stab and Vans joint. Watch all of Episode 3 of our 21/22 Season.