it was a pretty emotional day. a day to say goodbye to a friend that was like a brother to me. John Shimooka passed away a couple weeks ago and i’m still in disbelief that he’s not with us anymore. since the coronavirus, you can’t have a proper funeral. so just the closest people to John paddled out to Big Rights to catch a wave for him.
when i got out there, i couldn’t believe how many people showed up. everybody was social distancing which was good, and the vibe was tense. from cries, to laughs, you could feel John’s presence. the current was so strong, the water was rough, and one of the canoes flipped over. i could see him laughing down on us…
most surfers, including me, want their ashes to be scattered in the ocean. it kind of feels good to be able to surf where ever you go and feel each and everyones soul. all us surfers know that there is only one ocean and we are all connected to it. this is our final destination…
good to see all the Big Rights boys out there. John loved to surf out there and that’s where we made most of our greatest memories…
hey John, thank you brother for the amazing times we had. from the crazy memories in Japan, to the crazy memories in Hawaii, we did it all. you made me laugh, sometimes so hard that i ended up crying. you made me smile, you made me happy, and you made me super stoked whenever i was hanging out with you. i’ll keep those memories tucked away in my heart and when ever i go surf Big Rights, i’m going to get barreled for you because that’s what you loved. peace my brother…
