The Banzai Pipeline is notorious
as one of the most dangerous places in the world for big wave
surfing. In the winter, the waves can get huge (I saw 20 footers
but they get even bigger) but the real danger is that the waves
break over a very shallow reef which has pulverized many unlucky
surfers. These waves are formed when big storms in the North Pacific
generate huge swells which propagate towards Hawaii. On a day
with big waves forecast, the area is jammed with surfers, photographers
and spectators. I saw many broken surfboards and scraped up surfers
come out of the water.