most parents have to force their kids to surf. but yesterday kids were different. the 2 kids wanted to surf. they were so excited to get in the water. and once they were on the surfboard, the smiles came out so naturally.

Ojiro-kun is only 7 years old and so brave! we were pretty far out in the ocean but he wasn’t scared at all. this is pure confidence! this kid believes in himself.

you can’t make a kid smile unnaturally. nature will do it naturally. and this is as natural as it gets.

since the water wasn’t totally clean, i told myself “let’s surf perfectly today. nobody falls so nobody goes into the water.” Ojiro-kun almost lost his balance but because he kept on looking forward, he regained it. lucky because if he went down, so was i. thank you Ojiro-kun for surfing just like you’re supposed to!

and yes, every kid deserves a high five after a beautiful ride like that.

then it was 8 year old Riko-chan’s turn. she was equally excited to surf. and from the first wave, she just stood right up. perfect balance!

i can’t see the facial expressions from the back when i’m surfing, so when i came home and downloaded these photos, i was so happy to see these precious smiles.

and yes, a high five for you too Riko-chan! thank you guys for not falling because i didn’t want to go in the water. in fact, we all came in and our hair was still dry. that is what you call perfect surfing! can’t wait to do it all over again.

Vans US Open of Surfing ON! Click here!
Good morning 5:20am.
Ala Moana waist-chest high and getting cleaner.
Diamond Head chest high and bumpy.
Trade winds at 15mph.
Sunny and very warm.
Going surfing.
Have a wonderful day!

the government said “stay out of the ocean today because of dirty water!” the whole island of surfers listened except the 5 of us. if you know the ocean currents, winds, and tides, you can find clean water somewhere. pulled up to bowls this morning and no way! so drove around the corner in search of good waves and clean water.

kewalo’s was the spot! the water was clean and the waves were good! showed Oshima-san and Kawato-san the local way of surfing the most localize spot on the south shore.

new spot, new nerves. haha. i could tell they were nervous because it was something totally different. kind of wild if you think about it. i forgot to tell them about the big tiger sharks that patrol out there.

different spot, different lineup, different current, and different everything. luckily i surfed here since i was 13 years old. teaching the tricks to kewalos and telling the boys how lucky they are to surf this spot all to ourselves.

Oshima-san likes any challenge. all he wanted was bigger and bigger waves. so stoked to see him charging super hard!

good ride, good smile.

had to dodge some wood and debris, but overall, the water was clean. i still can’t believe nobody was out. it’s the first time in my life i surfed all morning at kewalos with no locals out. score.

Kawato-san figuring out the lineup. one of the hardest lineups to figure out. i’ve seen guys paddle out there for the first time and look lost at sea. if you surfed there before, you know what i’m talking about. just to catch a wave is a huge accomplishment.

then took the kids surfing in the afternoon when the water cleaned up at rock piles. again, nobody out. omg, we had a blast! i was so happy to come home and look at all the beautiful smiles in the photos. this is a dream for me to see kids this happy from surfing.

driving home into the blue sky. needed to wash the truck, and thank goodness that everybody was safe with this recent typhoon.

i surfed 2 rounds every single day for the past 39 days straight! omg, that’s a world record for me! no wonder i’m so black! thank goodness my teeth is white or you won’t be able to see me. haha. 10 more days of 2 rounds so 49 days will be my all time record. then i’m planning to take a couple days of vacation out of the sun. yeah!