I want to thank Yana-san for just sending me some old photos out of his Japanese surf magazine collection. It brought back all the wonderful memories. This one was 25 years go at Backdoor. Backdoor was my happy place. It was the hardest spot in the world to catch a wave. The locals back then were different than the ones today. Fights and violence every single day. You have to hunt and when you find that perfect barrel, you better be smiling because that doesn’t happen often. 
If Backdoor was too small, I would go to Rocky Point. A different local crowd there. Less organized and very aggressive. Add in the strong current and it’s also hard to get a good wave out there. I think surfing those kind of spots taught me how to hunt for waves anywhere in the world. 
Surfing Backdoor is all about commitment. You have to paddle your hardest and when you stand up, you better be ready for what’s ahead. Some of the waves will breathe into the barrel and then breathe out. So you will feel the air pulling you back, then a split second later, blowing you out. That’s when you know you’re as deep as can be. It’s the best feeling in the world. 
When you’re young, you don’t think about the risks. One mistake could end your life out there. So what made me overcome the fear is becoming comfortable in the uncomfortable. I actually felt more comfortable in the barrel than out of it. Lots of barrel riders will agree. 
First swell Japan: I would spend my summers in Hawaii and wait for the call. Tokura-san would call my home phone and say “get ready, a typhoon is coming.” I would immediately call my travel agent and book the next flight to Japan. The next day, the barrels will begin. I still can’t believe that was my job for many years. Getting paid to travel and get barreled? That sounds like a joke.
Thank you again Yana-san for bringing back the wonderful memories. Without any photos, I would have forgotten all of that.
