By Dan Hamlin  Photos: Craig Hamlin

Dan Hamlin, like Rick Cane, is a top ripper at his home break. Photo: Craig Hamlin

Ever since I started reading surf magazines I wanted to go to the North Shore.  It began as simply a desire to see the waves that filled so many pages of those magazines.  I wanted to watch Pipe, Sunset, and Rocky Point, to see first hand the spots that had gained international fame in the surf world.  I didn’t really think about the reality of seeing those waves up close and personal.  I didn’t take into consideration what it actually takes to paddle out and catch a wave on the North Shore.  But the lore of the most famous stretch of coastline in the world had taken a hold of me.  And eventually I made my way across the Pacific to that seven mile miracle. Continue reading…