when i see a photo of japan like this circulating the web, i have mixed emotions. some people are posting where it is and how to get there. some people are posting surf forecasts. and some people are on standby planning their next trip there. what most people don’t know is that this spot in particular is one of the most localized and underground secret spots in the world. i’ve been surfing this spot for over 23 years and i still consider myself a visitor there. locals rule and i respect them a lot. throughout the years, so many pro surfers or local surfers from hawaii asked me to take them there. i always tell them “no way. i can’t, and i won’t.” one reason is to keep the secret a secret. and another reason is i respect the locals and their magical spot. so seeing this circulating the web yesterday made me happy in a weird way. happy to see my favorite surf spot in the world on fire. happy to see my friends in the photo too. in this photo, you only see backs, but these backs are a couple of legend surfers who made surfing popular in japan. Tokura-san and Hiromichi-san. the reason i know it’s them is because i’m always standing behind them checking out the waves here for the past 23 years. gosh, i miss japan.
sharks vs. surfers. a popular topic these days.
good to see Mick Fanning back in the water surfing in tahiti after that accident with the great white shark in south africa.
many are calling this an attack. i don’t believe it. i think it was an accident. if the shark wanted to attack Mick in this situation, it wouldn’t miss. i’m not a shark expert, but i think sharks are very curious. this shark probably went to check out Mick. then when it got tangled in his surfboard leash, the shark took off taking Mick underwater. if Mick’s leash didn’t break, he could have been taken for a ride underwater for miles. lucky guy his leash that not supposed to break, broke. anyway, there will be a lot of conversation to come, but that is just my opinion. i truly think the shark was more surprised than Mick. both survived so that’s all that matters.
