It’s pretty crazy how things flow when we travel. For this trip, we planned to take the slow life in Japan. Things started off slow until the Typhoon swell started to show and my friends started calling me. If you ever traveled with me, plans change by the minute. And everything is decided by the ocean. I had zero expectations on surfing, but as a surfer, if there is opportunity, we take it. Cold water, freezing cold winds, no surfboards, no wetsuits, no towels, and no wax. Thank goodness for friends as they can make it happen. So we arrive to the secret spot, the waves are perfect, nobody out, and hard to get motivated to jump into the freezing cold temperatures. Then I see my brother and Tony dig a hole, gather firewood, and light the perfect fireplace. Things started to get warm really fast.
I never go on a trip without surf trunks. It’s always been mandatory. Toda-san and Takami-san provided us with the rest. Surfing in the cold is a mental game. You have to really want it, and you have to really be a little crazy too. Haha. 
Walking down the beach, I couldn’t feel my hands, feet, face, and ears. I also couldn’t talk because it was so cold. I was shivering until I touched the water with my feet. Then I looked out and saw one of the most perfect waves a surfer will ever see. The adrenaline kicks in, the heart beats faster, and once I’m in the ocean, I’m wide awake. I live my life for times like this. And this time turned out to be one of the most memorable surf sessions in my life. Surfing side by side with the surfer who taught me how to surf big waves, and taught me how to adapt to any kind of conditions. Tony Moniz taught me it all. Just the two of us in our surf trunks, on borrowed surfboards, taking turns on waves, and embracing the moment. My sister, brother, and friends on the beach watching, it was a surfers ultimate dream session. Nobody expected this, and that’s what made it even better…
