Billy Kemper, unseasonal (but tasty) Backdoor, Hawaii

April ain’t the first month that will inflate your mind when you think of swell in Hawaii. But one of the North Shore’s most excellent assets is its unpredictability. On April 4, buoys were reaching 13 feet at 16 seconds. By Friday, third reef was jacking. “We do get some nice swells in April but this particular swell even seemed to catch the forecasters off guard,” says photographer Spencer Suitt, who was down there to document and captured the moment you see here. Last night, Backdoor and Pipe turned on. There were excellent A-frame peaks everywhere. “It wasn’t too crowded, Off The Wall only had four guys on it and Pipe was a tight pack of the regulars (all friends with each other) that live here, all surfing at once,” says Spencer. “Derek Ho was out there charging on a 5’11”. You name them, they were out. Billy (Kemper, pictured here) was absolutely ripping. He got the best wave that I saw at backdoor, with a super deep foam ball ride.” Despite a slow start, Billy certainly had a good time out there: “I went out with a bunch of friends the night before so I was pretty hung over,” Mr Kemper told Stab. ” I got out there around noon, just to go get some waves. I had a smaller board but ended up getting the best left I had this winter. Then Sean Moody was paddling for this right, I was 20 yards deeper than him and Cheeseburger just told me, ‘This is the one, go!’ It was the biggest, thickest and best wave I’ve ever got out there f’sure.” But that ain’t all. According to Billy, the consistency was unlike anything he’s seen this winter. “I think it was the best day of the season,” he continues. “I mean, there were some days where bigger and crazier waves were ridden earlier in the winter, but yesterday had the most consistently good waves ridden in one day, for sure. Every set was was an eight-footer with a left and right blowing its brains out. Dusty (Payne) flew over from Maui in the afternoon and we went surfing at 4pm. He was rattled, like, ‘This is the best Backdoor I’ve ever seen.’” While this time of year isn’t famous for good waves, Billy says it’s not unheard of: “Y’know, it’s really weird, my birthday’s on the April 14, and last year on my birthday it was eight feet A-frames with perfect SE winds. It always seems like in April we get one last hooray.” And, it ain’t over yet! “The winds are really light and are forecasted to be that way all week, with a new eight foot swell tomorrow,” says Spencer. – Elliot Struck