i think Seth Moniz was only 8 years old when i first took him to Japan. we went to Shikoku to surf his first contest in Japan. next to him is Shun Murakamai who was his rival. these 2 kids were competing both in and out of the water ever since.
Seth ended up winning the contest that year. fast forward 10 years later, these 2 boys are now competing in the WQS 6000 Ichinomiya Chiba Open in Japan. how time flies?
Shun won the contest another year. look how small the boys were! haha. so cute!
at that young age, i always use to tell Seth to not only go for the contests, but to go for the culture. this is where you will learn things you will never learn in school. ringing this thousand year old bell at the most sacred temple is higher education then you can imagine.
and skateboarding down the streets of Wakayama is training and enjoying the culture at the same time.
took Tony and Seth to meet Matsuo-san and Naoka in Chigasaki. these are some of my best friends in the world and i wanted my family to meet them.
**somebody asked me where was older brother Joshua Moniz? he was too scared to leave Hawaii. haha. i remember inviting Joshua a few times to Japan and he use to say “no thank you Unko Burby.” haha. anyway, glad Seth and Josh are now in Chiba surfing in the country that’s half their bloodline. wish all the boys luck!
