good evening. i haven’t done this in a long time but i want to thank everyone for checking out go-naminori. it feels good to know that a lot of people around the world check out go-naminori. it feels good to connect people together. and it feels good to know that people can come to a happy and positive place at a click. when i think about things, my circle of friends tripled because of this site. i’ve met so many great people and i’m looking forward to meeting more. i also want to thank all the people involved. our bloggers, our staff, and all the people we feature on our site. july 1, 2012 made 6 years! yeah, 6 years of happiness. how time flies! i’m super stoked to be a part of this team and family. let’s keep growing, let’s keep on smiling, and let’s keep on surfing! aloha to you all!

13 years ago on my first trip to the mentawai’s, i remember pulling up to HT’s and nobody was around. it was just the jungle and you. now days, it can get pretty crowded so you have to time it right. we got it one day with just our boat. then another day with 6 other boats and 40 people in the lineup. after seeing that, i told myself that i would never go back to HT’s again. i’d rather surf somewhere else with just our crew.

wanted to welcome Satsuki-san from Okinawa to Hawaii. great surfer, great smile, and lots of aloha. it’s good to see okinawan people in hawaii because mensore and aloha go hand in hand.

Satsuki-san bottom turn at Bowls!

wanted to wish Inaida-san and Yuki-san a safe trip back to japan. had a wonderful time sipping champagne, eating good food, surfing giant waves, sunsets, smiles, and laughs. cheers to you from my future condo! haha.

Shawn Fujimoto is one of the best divers i know. he taught me a lot about diving and has caught more fish than any other diver in hawaii. i still can’t believe i met him in the ala moana parking lot about 5 years ago. he was getting ready for a dive, i was getting ready for a surf. we talked, we exchanged phone numbers, and now we’re friends. cool!

on the left is expert diver Vernon Takata. and on the right is Vernon Podlewski. i met these 2 Vernon’s for the first time yesterday and now i’m looking forward to diving with them again. super fun!

all our gear together would cost thousands of dollars. but that’s nothing compared to all the fish we eat and share with our loved ones.

shawn’s boat has nice soft comfortable seats for everybody. it’s hard not to fall asleep.

i drank one huge power drink, i drank one big bottle of water, i ate one big bento from zippy’s. and on the way home, i ate one greasy cheeseburger. i loved every bite!

can you believe today was my first day off since i came back from the mentawai? and before i left, i don’t even know when i had a full day to go play. last night, my job for today was cancelled. then i get a call from my dive friend shawn who also hasn’t been able to dive for a while because of his job. i really wanted to stay home today, turn on my air conditioner, and relax. but when somebody invites me for a dive, there’s no way i’m turning it down. i wake up at 4am, i drive to hawaii kai, hook up shawn’s boat, drive to waianae, and dive all day. i surely needed some really deep breaths!

you couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day. going on my boat gives me a little stress because i have a big responsibility. so when i go on my friends boat, i can just sit back and relax.

i forgot to take my fin socks so i started getting blisters on my feet. went back to the boat, taped it up, and dove all day. shawn tells me that we were going to start off shallow. my first drop was 40′ or 12 meters. that’s shallow to him. my breath holding felt pretty good all day long. felt super relaxed deep on the bottom lying down waiting for the fish.

see that broom fish? the colorful one? that is the best sashimi hawaii has to offer. when i seen that, my mouth started to water. now it will be one of my fresh dinners this week.

i’ve heard a lot about this guy Vernon Takata. he’s won many free diving tournaments, been in all the skin diving magazines, and on tv regularly. today i was a student. i just watched as these professionals did what they do best. check out this huge flounder!

on our last dive, a mother dolphin and her newly born baby swam right by us. a great way to end the day.
south shore swell came up. i’m going surfing tomorrow morning. my body and soul couldn’t feel any better!