caption: “Kirby Fukunaga from Hawaii, on a day when the swell was as big as the spot can handle- any bigger, and it mushes through the barrel section off the peak.”
about 20 years ago, i went to the Philippines right after the 9/11 terrorist attack. the terrorists were at that time training in the jungle, and they were also kidnapping and killing tourists. there was a “Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory for Americans not to travel to the Philippines. my family was against it and thought i was crazy to go there. i was hard head and my thinking was not to let the terrorists win. and if i didn’t go on that trip, they would have won. anyway, every night of those 2 weeks before i went to bed, i made sure i had my passport, cash, and my mask and snorkel right next to my pillow. i had a plan to jump into the ocean if anything was to happen. i thought my chances of surviving was pretty high. sounds crazy when i think about it now. haha.
anyway, that was my first time surfing Cloud 9. there was a Super Typhoon spinning right off the coast. close enough to send historic waves, but far enough to keep the weather perfect. this day was 8-10′ and very dangerous. i remember the steep takeoffs breaking over the shallow reef. i clearly remember this day because the photographer told me after this wave, “you just got a historic shot. that shot will be published in magazines around the world!” i was so happy! that night i remember drinking 6 San Miguel beers and fell asleep with the biggest smile. when i woke up, i realized i forgot to put my passport, cash, and snorkel next to my pillow. i could have died a happy man…
