When a major storm hits the coast and kicks up monster waves, most of us run for the hills. But for big wave surfers the allure of riding 40 foot monsters is just too hard to pass up. This was the case on January 28, 1998, when a freak weather system slammed into Oahu’s north shore. It was a situation the Coast Guard called a Condition Black, meaning, simply: get out of the water.
But surfers hear that as an invitation, and so what resulted was a program that aired on PBS called “Condition Black” back last year on May 22. An excellent piece that is said to be re-airing sometime soon. Stay tuned.