Waimea Bay River Wave Goes Absolutely Perfect (Video)

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Oct 6, 2025 5:03 PM ET

It’s strange to think of novelty waves as perfect. That’s the whole point of a novelty wave – it’s imperfect, weird and wonky, and therein lies the fun.

But recently, on the North Shore of Oahu, the Seven Mile Miracle’s premier novelty surf spot went just about as good as it gets. The Waimea Bay river wave broke, forming large standing waves at the storied big wave surf spot. So glassy it was “Jell-O,” as they say.

And Jamie O’Brien, always there to score the river wave, called it: “I think one of the best rivers I’ve rode in the last 10 years at least. This is 10/10.” Watch below.

JOB strike missioned the wave with fellow novelty lover, and frequent Waimea river wave rider, Koa Smith. They got there at dawn, knowing the river was full, and ready to burst. With decent swell in the actual ocean, and surfers even paddling out at Waimea proper, the boys were on the beach enjoying their own, less conventional session.

In fact, elsewhere on the North Shore, there was trouble recently as the wintertime swells begin trickling in. On Sunday, an elderly couple was swept off the sand by a wave just up the coast at Ke Iki Beach. Luckily, they were rescued and sent to the hospital.

As for the river wave, it was one of the bigger ones. Not quite as crazy as the one from last year, which was so hectic, so unruly, that JOB “almost died.”

Rather, this one was more perfect. JOB continued:

“Absolutely insane. I can’t even believe it. That was probably the best river wave of my life. Just huge, big and glassy. I rode it for like three or four minutes. Like mind-blowing. I did not expect the river to get this big today. Amazing day on the North Shore.”

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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