For John Galera to miss a day of surf on the North Shore because of poor planning is not only unthinkable, it's unacceptable. His routine is sacred, a thing that has defined his life every winter for decades.

If the waves are big, Galera will go.

The 53-year-old Galera, a postmaster at the Pearl City post office, wouldn't have it any other way. It's that simple, that important.

"Work comes first, but I always can find a couple of days during the week where I can leave at 4 o'clock and get a few hours in there," he said. "If it is really good, I will go every day. I make time. I go after work. I go before. I go at lunch."

Like so many who surf the North Shore, Galera knows the seasonal pull as well as its annual promise.

Every winter, the North Shore is host to a migration of surfers from around the world. Many are sponsored professionals who come to ride some of the best waves in the world.

But the hallowed surf breaks along this thin stretch of coastline attract another dedicated following — surfers such as Galera, who twist and fold their daily routines around surf forecasts.

JUST OUT FOR FUN

Just because no one is paying devoted North Shore surfers to ride winter waves doesn't mean they don't love it just as much.

They may even love it more.

From as early as September to as late as May, they revel in waves that arrive practically in their backyard.

Longtime North Shore resident Randy Rarick, a lifelong surfer and noted shaper who's now best known as executive director of the annual Triple Crown contest, estimates that 10 percent of the area's 7,000 residents moved there to live the surfing lifestyle.

Plenty of people come to the North Shore not so much for monster surf, but for waves that are consistently good no matter what the size.

"There are a lot of non-mainstream surf spots that a lot of guys go surf at because they are not in the limelight," said Rarick, who at 60 still surfs every day. "It is still quality surf. I would say 95 percent of the people who surf are recreational surfers who don't like big waves. They are looking for a fun experience."

ADRENALINE BUZZ

Galera, who lives in Mililani, rides paipo boards, made of foam or wood; they are ridden prone by surfers with swimfins. Galera has surfed regularly since he was a teenager and won't go out unless the surf is well overhead.

He draws the line, however, at waves with 20-foot faces. To get a sense of those waves, imagine lying on the lawn beside a two-story house.

From the shore he's easy to spot because he's wearing a red helmet.

"You take a pounding out there when you are riding big waves on a piece of wood," he said. "Over the years I've had my share of concussions."

Still, he views his devotion to the North Shore altar as a way to cut the stress of long days, which often start at 7 a.m. and finish at 6 p.m. It forces him to stay in shape, and he works out almost every day — running and lifting weights — so he can surf more.

"Surfing has kept me healthy and kept me sane," he said.

The thrill of riding winter waves has kept 63-year-old Earl Dahlin addicted to surfing since he was a young man. Dahlin, a civilian truck driver and forklift operator for the Army, lives across the street from the beach at Hale'iwa — and if he's home in the afternoon, he'll be surfing.

He has kept at it despite ruptured discs in his back and the nagging reality that the really large surf is not for him anymore.

"At the end of the day, I hurt a lot — but it doesn't stop you," he said. "I have to get out there. You get bopped around, but the adrenaline is there and the enjoyment is there. You can get addicted to it."

'IT'S A RUSH'

Trying to explain the reasons behind why they surf the North Shore has never been easy for surfers. Paul Dunn, the 53-year-old manager at Jameson's By The Sea restaurant, has lived on the North Shore since 1976, and in that time has crafted a lifestyle built around surfing and restaurant jobs.

Originally from California, he fell in love with the winter waves where his boyhood heroes surfed. The seven-mile stretch of coastline had a mystique that still exists.

"Winter is definitely what we are living for," he said. "You can feel the change in the air on the North Shore when it goes from summer to fall and you can feel the testosterone."

It's only possible to truly understand the experience of surfing if you are a surfer, according to Dunn.

"It's a rush that we love," he said. "It gives us the passion to do it. We go out and want bigger and better waves."

A husband and father of two teenagers, he typically works from about 4 to 11 p.m. so he can surf in the mornings. But this winter he's recovering from a torn toe ligament and is spending more time towing friends into waves than anything else.

"I have to take off this winter, which is really a disappointment because it is supposed to be a big one," he said.

Back when he was single, he was often one of the first surfers in the water. When he became a father, that was difficult because he had to drive his children to school. The payoff is that now they surf with him, he said.

"My family has been so supportive it has been unbelievable," he said. "If anything I may have neglected them too much."

Yoshi Chiba has had that same thought. The 42-year-old geologist has a 2-year-old daughter and a wife who likes to surf as much as he does. They live in Hale'iwa, which is close to his favorite surf breaks, but a gnarly, pre-dawn commute to his Kalihi office.

Still, on good days, Chiba can be home in time for a solid afternoon session.

"Actually, I am making my life around surfing," he said. "Maybe I shouldn't be doing it but I am doing it the same way I have been doing it ever since I started surfing."

When Chiba surfs, he's searching for a feeling, one he has found in the briefest of moments on a wave.

"Getting the barrel is the best, but even one nice turn is just worth everything," Chiba said. "You cannot compare it to anything else. I can relive it until the next session. It's a pretty special feeling that you cannot compare with anything else."