Typhoon Chasing from Shikoku to Wakayama

253

IMG_9735
yesterday’s waves were incredible! big waves and good wind all day long. surfed 3 rounds, took 2 naps, and had such a beautiful day. i’ve been doing this for 22 years and i’m still in love with it! this is a secret river mouth in shikoku that i will never ever say the name. secrets are best kept secrets. want to thank the locals there for being so nice and sharing the waves with me. stoked!
IMG_9756
Matchi is a shikoku local and we’ve had some of the best surfing experiences together back in the days when there was no cell phone and no internet. we would just drive around for hours and hours looking for the perfect wave. and we’d always find it!
IMG_9789
Matchi took a few photos of me when i jumped in. i was staying in the inside trying to find the hollow waves that break right along the sandbar.
IMG_9858
and yes, my new Minami 5’10 is working pretty dam good! stoked to always have magic boards from TSSC.
yesterday i had 2 choices. one to stay in shikoku for an early morning surf, then travel by car, ferry, and train for 11 hours to get to tokyo in time. another choice was to start driving, head to wakayama, wake up early, surf, then take my time heading back to tokyo. i chose the second choice and it was the right one. yeah, it took 6 hours 10 minutes by myself to get here but it was well worth it.
IMG_0205
look what this morning looked like. in fact, this was just 2 hours ago. i’m packed and ready to head to the train station for a long journey back to tokyo. then when tomorrow comes, i will start yet another long journey. i’ve only been here for 3 days but it feels like 3 months already. and guess what? there is another typhoon heading this way right now! if i can surf another good typhoon swell, i will be the luckiest surfer in the world. stay tuned!

KIRBY FUKUNAGA
ハワイで生まれ育ち、プロサーファー、フォイラー、スキンダイバー、カメラマンの肩書きを持ち、ウォーターマンとして、海で多くの時間を過ごし、海から多くのモノをもらいながら生活しています。彼が伝えようとしていることは、海がある生活は僕らを豊かにしてくれるということ。そして、自分だけではなく、いろいろなことをみんなにシェアし、人生を楽しむということ。現在は、ハワイでプライベートサーフィンガイドを主催。
カービー福永のハワイサーフィンガイド
https://go-naminori.com/kirbyhawaiisurfingguide