Today was very windy and not too many surfers like wind so it was totally empty all day long.  We surfed 2 rounds and Hashimoto-san must have caught 40 waves today.  These are the days you get the most out of Boot Camp.  The whole ocean is yours so you can ride anything that comes.  

Windy is good because it creates wind swell.  If there were no winds these past 2 days, the waves would be flat.

Good waves for practicing off the lips.  Hashimoto-san felt the lip and he was so stoked to hit it!  

Finally saw that big boat named Shinkai go out of the harbor.  Gosh, she is a beauty!   I would love to go to the Mentawai’s on that.  

This afternoon was even better than the morning.  Nobody was out so we rode everything!  

I’m super stoked to see Hashimoto-san surfing so much better on this trip.  You should see his smile on the paddle back out.  

Epic waves on a windy day.  Please stay windy!

For about 20 years of my life, I would leave Hawaii starting in every April to travel the world.  Summer in Hawaii was boring for me because I’ve done it my whole life, so venturing off to other countries was so exciting.  I’d spend a lot of time in Japan and when the waves were flat, I use to drive down to the beach and people watch.  Many days in Shonan watching the surf craze happening right in front of me.  None of my family and friends in Hawaii believed me when I told them how crowded the ocean was.  Until they saw this.  

Then when October comes, I make sure I’m back in Hawaii for the whole winter season because this is what I lived for.  Backdoor!  In those 20 years, I don’t think I missed even one good day out there.  I would be there from pitch dark for hours and hours everyday.  Everyone wants the wave of the day, and everyone wants to get barreled.  So paddling out on days like this was very challenging and exciting.  Sometimes you have to be aggressive, and sometimes you have to be lucky.  I remember sitting outside next to Mike Stewart and when this huge set came.  Mike went left and I went right.  Left is Pipeline, and right is Backdoor.  Gosh, I wonder how big this wave was?

Red Flag Warning in Blue Hawaii…

Good morning 4:20am.
North shore chest high and bumpy.
Ala Moana waist to chest high from the trade wind swell.
Diamond Head head high and bumpy.
Strong trade winds at 30mph today.
Sun, showers, and huge rainbows.
Going to the sea.
Have a wonderful day!