Dawn Patrol continues…

Good morning 3:10am.
Ala Moana waist high and good.
Diamond Head chest high and bumpy.
Trade winds at 15mph.
Sunny and warm.
Going to surf.
Have a wonderful day!

We paddled out in the dark this morning.  The days are getting shorter and shorter because a week ago, it was a lot more lighted at this time.

Rio san riding into the golden sunrise.

I still can’t believe we went to the same high school at the same time.  Such a small world with big coincidences.  And all these years later, we are surfing together!

Everyday is a learning experience and everyday is a better photo.

A perfect bottom turn on the biggest set of the day.

Round 2 at Diamond Head.  Much better than yesterday according to the locals.  One of the guys asked me how long I was surfing out there.  I did the math in my head and it turns out I’ve been surfing Diamond Head for the past 40 years.  That’s crazy!

The end of the ride as me and the birds watching the action.  Smaller waves tomorrow but excellent conditions.  Goodnight…

Thank you Neal for sending me this photo.  It’s pretty funny because I kind of posed for this.  Haha.  I’ve been shooting with Neal since the early 1990’s at Backdoor so we know how to connect.  I basically just surf and Neal will swim his way around me and get the shot.  30 years ago, I would make the weirdest faces so most of my photos will get thrown away.  But working with photographers all these years and also being a photographer myself, I understand that posture and facial expression is really important.  It basically can make or break the moment.  So yes, here is my “cheese” moment without looking into the lens.  When I passed Neal on this turn, I knew 100% he got the shot.  But if Neal wasn’t there, I would have had the worst face for sure.  Haha.