« 20 Best Surfing Islands

#4. Oahu, Hawaii: The island of Oahu in Hawaii has been a surfing fixture for decades. From the historic black and white images of the Waikiki Beachboys in the 1930′s to the longboard championships at Makaha in the 1950′s to the iconic tube slouches of Gerry Lopez and Rory Russell in the 1970′s, what happens on this island has influenced every aspect of modern surfing from surfboards to boardshort to contests. While the South Shore and the West Side have lost influence and appeal in recent decades, Oahu still shines a beacon to the surfing world every winter as the Triple Crown of Surfing brings the best surfers to The Country for three big-wave events and the resulting mediafest covering five weeks of the world’s best showcase of competitive and performance surfing. Image: Callahan/surfEXPLORE