wow, i’ve been waiting for a morning like this. for the past week, i’ve been telling Asayama-san, “when the best morning comes, let’s go dawn patrol!” today was the day! no wind so perfect glassy conditions, hazy sky so orange sunrise, and perfect shoulder high waves! i could tell Asayama-san was excited because he was paddling out too fast again. haha. i had to slow him down.

first wave of his dawn patrol surf career! it was super perfection! and with the sun rising over diamond head, it was so beautiful.

only 6:45am and super stoked!

then i seen the orange sun finally come up. when we where waiting at the lineup, you couldn’t see it because trump tower was blocking it. i told Asayama-san, “ok, next wave, stand up, turn right and you will see the big orange sunrise.” as soon as the wave took him inside past trump tower, the sun shined on his face. i was on the side watching him surf the the biggest smile ever. when he paddled out, he said “this is amazing!”

then he took a rest out in the ocean. it was so calm and peaceful. the best morning session in a very long time.

Asayama-san’s a local already. everybody knows him in the lineup. for the past 7 days, i didn’t see any surfer older than him. so i told him “doesn’t it feel great to be the oldest surfer out here and riding these beautiful waves?” he said “YES, IT DOES!”

one last wave of the day. we paddled in and it was still 7:30am. a great way to start off the beautiful day!

then we went for a local breakfast because we were so hungry. it was still 8am and we were totally happy and energetic.

look at our breakfast! it was so good! then i dropped off Asayama-san, he went to yoga, to watch the sunset, ate dinner, and we will surf again tomorrow morning. i have a feeling it’s going to be good again!

i pick up Asayama-san at 2pm yesterday. he didn’t look right so i asked him “are you ok?” he said “i’m tired.” i asked him “on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the best, how do you feel now?” he said “3-4.” i said “ok, let’s take it easy today. let’s look at the waves and decide whether to surf or not.” so we get to the beach and the waves were nice, easy, and perfect. so i say “let’s go out and catch 2 waves.” he said “ok.”

as soon as Asayama-san got in the water, i seen him revive. then as soon as he caught his first wave, i seen him with the big smile like always. rode that one perfectly. then another one right after. i knew in my mind that he would want to keep on surfing for hours. he was totally genki! BUT, i told him, catch one more and let’s go in. he didn’t understand why?

so he catches his 3rd and last wave. we paddle back in and shower. our session was only 45 minutes.

after he dries up, i ask him again “ok, now how do you feel on a scale of 1 to 10?” he said “9! i feel so good!” then i explained to him how the ocean can heal. even if you’re tired and down, one wave will revive you. just don’t overdue it. most people don’t know their own limits but i can figure people out just by looking at them. i can actually tell how many waves it will take to get you feeling like a 10. somedays it’s 20 waves, and other days it could only be 3. the reason i know is because i’ve been in the same shoes my whole life. sometimes it takes a lot, and sometimes it takes a little. either way, i’m always coming out of the water feeling like a 9 or 10!

then we had some time to enjoy more nature so we headed up to the mountain. the freshest air in the world!

sometimes i feel like a kid. sometimes we both feel like kids. haha.

after this, Asayama-san told me “i want to stay in hawaii longer.” haha.

thank you Asayama-san for the wonderful time and delicious custard cake!

Live the life you love, Love the life you live!