Right now the biggest storm since 1969 has turned the entire North Pacific into a cauldron of ferocious ocean swell. It's the last place in the world any boat would want to be. According to the latest buoy data the storm's massive swells are heading straight toward Hawaii, where surf forecasters are predicting the biggest swell since 1969 to hit Monday through Wednesday. Some are calling this one off the charts.

But for a brave few, this swell is 40 years in the making, because most big-wave surf lore revolves around the massive swell of 1969, which was generated by an El Nino system. That's the year when Greg Noll was rumored to have ridden a 30-foot wave at Makaha. What transpires over the next few days could usurp that legend, especially if "The Eddie" goes off at Waimea Bay on Oahu's North Shore.


The new swell started pounding the North Shore of Oahu late Sunday night. Officials are preparing for road closures over vast coastal stretches, and those who live on the beach are emptying out furniture, electronics and valuables from the bottom floors. Today is all about bracing for the blow.

All the while, surfers in Hawaii are readying themselves for what could be the swell of their lives, mapping out which break they think will handle the swell and wind conditions best. For many this is the ultimate measuring stick, because big-wave surfing has changed dramatically in the last 40 years. The advent of tow-surfing via personal watercraft opened the floodgates in the search for the planet's biggest waves, including those that couldn't be paddled into. Waves of 50, 60 and even 70 feet have been ridden in places from California and Chile, South Africa and Australia, and even in international waters over the past decade as new spots have been discovered and equipment refined.

Yet the traditional paddle-in approach is still the most difficult, which is why "The Eddie" attracts the best big-wave riders.

On paper, measuring today's storm vs. the one that created the massive swell of 1969 is a race that's too close to call. Yet there's a good chance Waimea Bay will be too big on Tuesday. But if it's a wash out, Maui's renowned beast known as Jaws, and some of Oahu's distant outer reefs will easily rival or surpass the record for the biggest wave ever ridden. Currently, that record is with Mike Parsons, who rode a 70-foot wave at Cortez Banks in 2001, a wave that breaks 100 miles in the middle of the ocean off of San Clemente, California.

The same swell that's hitting Hawaii today, should arrive in California by Wednesday. This should get interesting.