imagine surfing for 10 years and the biggest wave you caught is waist high. i told Yoshida-san, “well, today, the smallest wave out there is chest high. so get ready to ride the biggest waves of your life!”
the waves were actually head high and super good. a perfect day to test out the big wave arena. Yoshida-san surfed it perfectly! so stoked to see him riding the biggest waves of his life.
and the paddle back out was pretty fun too. to go from waist high to head high in an instant is a big step up.
up until i was 17, the biggest wave i surfed was head high. then all of a sudden i meet Tony Moniz. from that day on, i went from head high to quadruple overhead. 15′ hawaiian scale to be exact. it was super nerve-racking and super scary so i could imagine how Yoshida-san was feeling going over this mountain.
but hey, when someone urges you to go big. and someone yells at you “go! go! go!” you have to go! and when you make it back to the beach, you will go back home a new man. and that day you will never forget for the rest of your life. great job Yoshida-san on overcoming your fears! i’m so happy for you!
and thank you for the amazing snack!!! after i ate the first one, i ended up eating it all!
want to thank Makoto-san for sending me these photos! Kaneko-san and i have been surfing together for the past 4 years. it’s always fun watching him enjoy surfing in hawaii so much!
and the rest of the chiba surfer boys. had an awesome day with you guys!
at my high school reunion the other night, a friend asked me what was the secret to a happy life. my answer was simple “surfing.”
thank you Kaneko-san for the whisky! cheers dude!
