The winter waves start rumbling ashore on Oahu's fabled North Shore sometime in mid-November and by the time the Xcel Pro Surf Contest sets up its judging platform scafolding on Sunset Beach, the locals are ripping up what is often pretty gnarly surf. Each year the Xcel Pro is the first big surf contest and its sort of marks the start of the professional surfing season in Hawaii. The 2007 version is slated to start on October 27 or 28, depending on the surf. (A Northwest swell should bring up faces into the 10-foot range).

It's not as prestigious a contest as the Pipeline Masters or the other Triple Crown contests on the North Shore but precisely for that reason the surfing can be more inspired. The competitors are more go-for-broke because they are lower-ranked surfers and have less to lose. All told, this is a great contest to check out because the crowds are far less heavy on the beach and the highway but the high performance surfing can be just as good. Do bring binocs in order to best view the waveriding, which takes place a good ways offshore. And do bring a towel and beach chair for chilling.

Image via Xcel Pro

Hat tip to Mix Plate Special for the reminder

—Alex, 10/26/07