good morning. well, the day has finally come. time to get on 2 flights on the long journey back to hawaii. i came here for kimura-san’s birthday party and had no expectations on getting waves. yes, the typhoon is coming but everybody said friday and saturday would be the best. i thought i’d miss out. my friend mike in hawaii sent me an email yesterday saying “don’t worry kirby, even though you will miss the typhoon, there will be waves on the north shore and south shore when you get back. then i boarded takahashi-san’s boat yesterday with all my friends and headed out to an island. i wasn’t expecting any waves but as we approached, OMG! score? i think so.
Go-Naminori official blogger Hayato Maki caught a lot of good waves. super solid surfing in each section. then on his last one, he kicked out and had to duck dive 20 big sets on his head. he ended up so far inside and took about 45 minutes to get back to the boat.
then Go-Naminori Official blogger Shinpei Horiguchi got the wave of the day. one of japan and the world’s most respected big wave surfer. surfing good and charging as usual.
between surfs, we’ve been hanging out and shooting photos. Go-Naminori official blogger Rikio Higa on the famous sunabe sea wall. cool guy!
in okinawa, you never know who you will bump into. i was super stoked to see the newlyweds Takashi-san and Ryoko-san. i wish them the brightest future ahead!
the sunabe sea wall is a gathering place. we surf, we eat, we talk, we watch sunsets, and we just live a typical okinawan surfers life. it’s like life in a bikini. a very small bikini. haha.
megu-chan is from sendai. i’ve known her since 1992 the first time i went there. a professional bodyboarder and a really smart girl. when it comes to promotion surfing and bodyboarding in japan, we feel the same way. never give up!
people ask me what my job is. it’s surfing, shooting, diving, guiding, coordinating, and lots more. and the few time i have between all those jobs, i’m either on my phone or computer. but i guess i can’t complain when i’m sitting on the balcony of a room i share with good friends fronting the beautiful ocean.
like i said, sunset time at the sunabe wall. a mandatory event every evening. and if you seen a sunset from there, you will understand why.
i’m going to miss okinawa. as i was talking with rikio yesterday, i told him that the longer i stay, the sadder it get when i leave. i get so attached to this beautiful island and the beautiful people who live here. they true mensore spirit makes me want to come back more and more.
anyway, gotta pack and head to the airport. see you back in hawaii! thank you to okinawa, the locals, and my friends. you guys are gold!
