WSL Big Wave Finals ON!
Good morning 5:30am.
Ala Moana waist/chest high and clean.
Diamond Head shoulder high and windy.
Trade winds at 20mph.
Sun, clouds, showers, and rainbows.
Going Waikiki!
Have a wonderful day!

the WSL big wave contest in mexico was ON today! the waves were incredible! so stoked to see this kind of surfing right from my home. i’d say the sets were solid 20′ hawaiian scale, or 50′ faces.

watching it brought back so many memories. i went there about 15 years ago for a surf shoot for a japanese magazine. the waves were only 8′ hawaiian or 20′ faces, but i remember how dangerous it was. so much power that the wave would hold you on the bottom forever. i rode a 7’6 and didn’t use a leash, so being stuck on the bottom of the ocean 10′ deep trying my hardest to resurface wasn’t fun. and being that i was alone, nobody would even know if i disappeared. was kind of freaky, but freaky exciting. i actually liked it.

oh, and the most spooky part is i paddled out alone early morning every single day for a week. pretty much still dark. there is no channel, or no jet skis at the time, so you would have to time it perfectly. watch the ocean, time it right, and pretty much pray you don’t get caught by a big set. and if you do, you have to swim in and start over again. oh, and change boards when it breaks. then by 9am, the onshore winds would come and the waves would get junky. then it was corona and tacos for the rest of the day. haha. the finals for the contest should be on tomorrow. don’t miss it!

ok, remember i wrote on a blog years ago about the rail system not working here in hawaii? why? mostly because people in hawaii have no respect for other peoples property. they are storing the new rail in waipahu, and somebody snuck in last night and sprayed graffiti all over the train!

yes, us taxpayers payed $2M for each of these trains and now it went from brand new, to brand old. the project is not even close to done and we are still having so many problems. so sad to see our landscape change so drastically for something that most people believe won’t work.

hanging out with Mateus. playing japanese style. haha.

somebody asked me “why do you do so many blogs?” my answer was “because so many things happen in my life. each and everyday is full of adventure. if i don’t post the photos, it will all be lost. and because i’m getting older, i’m forgetting more and more. so this is a way for me to remember my amazing moments each and every day.”

why did i surf at Three’s? well, this swell was at a weird angle. bowls wasn’t that good, neither was big rights. Three’s on the other hand, loves this swell direction. a totally different crowd, a totally different vibe. it’s like a mix of ala moana and waikiki. surfing a different wave with different people made me feel like i was on a surf trip. and it was a great surf trip.

some of the waves were head high barreling. and it was those waves i was waiting for. my friend Bruce gave me 2 sets that made my summer. imagine getting barreled and doing 5 off the lips after. i don’t have to imagine anymore.

and just watching the old schoolers loving life to the fullest. you can’t ask for a more perfect life than this.

and i love watching the kids enjoying nature, rather than their iPhones. this is an application you won’t find at the apple store.

i let the kids run wild in the sea. kind of let them learn and figure things out on their own. of course i’m keeping an eye on them, but i’m also keeping my other eye on food.

i’ve been free diving a lot without weights or a wetsuit these days. it just feels more free than it use to. and when i’m laying on the ocean floor, i feel like i’m one of the wildlife. i can’t describe how good it feels.

coming up for a breath. wish i didn’t have to.

coming up with a fish. why not.
so yes, i surf, dive, shoot, and hunt. small waves, big waves, or no waves, i’m always a happy guy. if you can connect with nature, you can feel things you never felt before. and i guarantee you will fall in love with it.