The surf at Waimea Bay is the stuff of legend (and a line in a Beach Boys song), a board rider's paradise where massive swells charge around a point in perfect formation on Oahu's North Shore, the product of storms whipped up hundreds of miles away in the North Pacific Ocean.

It is also one of the locations used during the filming of the "Lost" television series.

But here's the catch: The epic wave riding at Waimea, on breakers 20-50 feet high, as well as other North Shore venues sich as Pipeline and Sunset, only happens in the winter.

That's bad news for summer travelers who, without knowing the local weather, arrive at these fabled haunts expecting to see surfing at its wildest. But it's good news for families looking for calm, clear waters in which to paddle, swim and snorkle.

The beach is also home to "Jump Rock," a massive outcropping that straddles the waterline and provides a diving platform for thrill seekers. (Cautioned advised!)

Europeans first laid eyes on the Waimea beach, river and canyon in January 1778 when the British Royal Navy ship HMS Resolution, commanded by Capt. James Cook, made landfall there. A year later, Cook was killed at Kealakekua Bay, and the Resolution, then commanded by Captain Charles Clerke, stopped at Waimea on Feb. 28, 1779, to re-provision before completing its exploration of the Pacific.

The bay, as well as other nearby stretches of more rocky coastline, are protected waters.