November 13th: Opening Day 2013 at Waimea Bay. Photo: Jeremiah Klein

"It was exciting to finally get the big boards out and get some real waves," Koa Rothman said. Photo: Jeremiah Klein

Makua Rothman paddled out around 8:30am, sat deeper than the entire pack and stroked straight into this bomb. Not a bad start to the season. Photo: Trevor Moran

New season, new equipment, old cobwebs. Plenty of wipeouts and mistiming went down on Opening Day. Damo Hobgood is somewhere under all that foam. Photo: Jeremiah Klein

On a more somber note, Kirk Passmore went missing after going down on a late drop over at Outside Alligator's. The search and rescue operations continued until sundown. Photo: Jeremiah Klein

Any time the Bay stirs, hoards of onlookers line Kam Highway to soak up the show. Photo: Jeremiah Klein

Meanwhile on Maui...Shane Dorian paddled Jaws alone for the early part of the morning before being joined by about a half-dozen other crazy chargers. Photo: Mike Neal

For further details on the science behind this swell check out this blog.

"It was easily as big as any paddle day that's gone down out there so far," Mark Healey reported. "Really uncrowded too. I guess paddling Jaws isn't cool anymore [laughs]. It was pretty cat-and-mouse out there though. I'm just glad everyone is in OK." Photo: Mike Neal

The northerly angle at Waimea helped to spread the lineup out a bit but also made peaks pop up in unusual places at times. Photo: Jeremiah Klein

Mid-morning mayhem for Eli Olsen [far right], while Kala Alexander and Nathan Florence play nicely. Photo: Sean Rowland

Most other North Shore breaks were large, unruly and unsurfable, forcing the focus to Waimea Bay, which seemed to be making the most sense out of the often-jumbled northerly swell. Photo: Jeremiah Klein

[L to R] Makua Rothman, Damien Hobgood, Koa Rothman, Kala Alexander and Ivan Florence prep/psyche/smile-with-nervous-excitement before forging the Bay's shorebreak. Photo: Jeremiah Klein

Said shorebreak, looking all but penetrable. Timing is key. Photo: Jeremiah Klein

Ian Walsh has been bouncing back and forth between Oahu and his Maui home over the last few weeks. But when Jaws pops with only just a few of the best big-wave surfers in the world out, you can guaranteed Walsh's Wednesday choice was obvious. Photo: Elliot Leboe

"It was really fun...almost playful Waimea," Hank Gaskell said, sharing a wave with Bede Durbidge here. "Glassy morning conditions with 12- to 15-foot sets coming out of the NNW made for easier drops than usual. I'm hoping to paddle some heavy surf this winter and today was a perfect warmup session." Photo: Jeremiah Klein

When Waimea got super crowded late-morning a handful of guys skirted off to Outside Alligator's...the site of Passmore's disappearance. Photo: Jeremiah Klein

By evening time, the seabreeze subsided leaving the Bay glassy, albeit smaller and a bit shifty. Photo: Jeremiah Klein

"I was so stoked to be in the spot for that one," Tanner Gudauskas frothed. "I can't believe I was the only one on that wave. I was pumped! There was some raw power out there. It felt a little jumpy and lumpy which created a couple different takeoff spots at the Bay." Photo: Jeremiah Klein, Video: Travis Kuhlman

Over at Haleiwa, competitors in the Reef Hawaiian Pro attempted a pre-event warmup but ended up doing a lot of paddling and bomb dodging...only to have the event ultimately called off due to the unruly surf. Photo: ASP/Cestari

This turn by Alejo Muniz could quite possibly be the only scoring manuver that went down while organizers observed the early-morning freesurfers' lack of success. Photo: ASP/Cestari

Kris, here, lives right on the point at Waimea Bay and is always out there when the Bay comes to life. Photo: Jeremiah Klein

"We've been hanging out with Nate Fletcher [pictured] a bunch," Gudauskas continued. "We paddled out at Waimea to get a couple early on. He told me to sit in a certain spot and told me, 'If Tom Carroll was out, he'd sit right there.'" Photo: Jeremiah Klein, Video: Travis Kuhlman

Waimea lefts! Where's Healey? Oh, that's right...Jaws. Photo: Jeremiah Klein

A busload of tourists creep through the Waimea Valley at idle speed, hoping to nail a shot. And just like the Waimea shorebreak, timing is key. Photo: Sean Rowland

The Opening Day crowds kept things interesting as well as entertaining. Photo: Jeremiah Klein

Meanwhile, over on an Outer Island...Photo: Dooma