i had such a great time surfing with Onozato-san this morning. she’s only been surfing for a year and i was surprised on how good she was. i asked her what was her goal for today. she told me “i want to turn.” so after a few waves she was turning right, left, and riding the waves all the way in. her surfing level and paddling level went up a lot after this mornings session. a very talented surfer!

speaking of talent, i really think you have to have a good eye to be a good photographer. some people have it, some people don’t. Yuki-san has they eye and has the talent. look at this beautiful photo she took at haleiwa yesterday. the sun, the rain, the blue sky, the clouds, the rainbow, the coconut trees, the waves, the surfers, and the ocean. all in one photo!!!! that’s satoko and me right before we paddled out for a great session!

here’s another one Yuki-san took. i always tell people to look very good before paddling out to any surf spot. haleiwa is the hardest and most dangerous places in the world to surf when it gets big. the current, the bumps, the freak sets, and the crowd. it takes time to figure this spot out but once you do, you will have the time of your life!
went surfing this afternoon at ala moana with Team Inaida-san. guess what everybody. there is a super nice east swell that is making perfect long waves. and it seems nobody knows about it because nobody is out. we scored once again!
north shore coming up to 8′ tomorrow. south fun too. enjoy!

It’s PHO time!

yesterday was the kind of day you stay in bed watching a movie. it was raining, dark, cold, windy, and the waves weren’t so good. well, that’s what i thought. we drove to the north shore anyway knowing the wind was bad and the conditions were ugly.

first stop was haliewa. i saw 2-4′ waves and looked so so. we grabbed our boards and paddled out anyway because there were only a few surfers in the water. then it just started getting bigger and bigger, and better and better. some solid 5-6′ sets with lots of power. i figured out that the first wave in the set was junk, and the second one was smooth because the first one made the ocean calm. i let the first ones go and went only for the second ones. the waves were good! i was even lucky to get a barrel. rode my matchi shape tssc 6’3 and had an awesome 2 hour session. it was one of those days you tell yourself “i’m glad i went out there!” pure satisfaction on the drive home.

always good to see japanese surfers in hawaii. wanted to say hello to Team BOB Surf from Tokushima.

and also wanted to say hello to Team Selection from Nagoya.
the current at haleiwa was as strong as it gets pulling right to left. i was tired but not tired enough to rush back to town and surf ala moana. it was chest high, sunny, and oh so perfect! what an awesome surfing day.