if you’re a surfer, the ultimate dream is to get barreled. if you think a cutback, off the lip, or floater feels good, you would pee in your pants when you feel how good a barrel is. and once you get barreled, you will be addicted for life. i got my first barrel at 12 years old and that’s all i live for as a surfer. let me take you through one. first, you have to choose the perfect wave. this one is at Backdoor. the take off is very important. you have to position yourself in the right place so you can glide right into the wave. next, you have to fully commit. you either take the chance and pull into the barrel, or you go straight or around it. remember that a barrel is high risk, so very high return. so commitment is everything…
once you’re in the barrel, just keep calm and keep looking at the exit. the deeper you are, the smaller the exit is. so just keep calm and look for the light at the end of the tunnel. 
the calmer you are, the more you will feel the energy of the ocean. so keep your calm face and enjoy the ride. 
then when you make it out, nothing in the world can beat that feeling. a bad day will turn good, a negative mind will turn positive, and you will never forget that feeling and will want more and more. so to all my students i teach, this is the goal. set your mind to it and you will enter the world only a few will experience. and when you do, i’ll buy you a drink and we can make a toast to a better life ahead…
thank you Kenji Sahara for taking these photos years back on the North Shore. i just relived this exact feeling and i’m feeling pretty dam good right now! cheers bro!
