it seems like years that i haven’t surfed. i left hawaii on april 3rd
and this was one of the last waves i rode in. for me, surfing has a
different meaning now. i don’t care how big or small the waves are, i
don’t care if i’m on a long board or a short board, surfing is fun no
matter what. just to be able to go in the ocean and ride a wave
excites me. this has been the longest time i haven’t surfed since i
started surfing. i feel like a kid again. i feel like i can’t wait.
from the airport, i’m going straight home, grabbing the first board i
see, and jumping into the ocean. i forgot that feeling but i’m sure
it’s going to feel so dam good. surfing is my life. i need the
ocean. i stayed away from surfing in japan for 2 reasons. one is
just out of respect for the surfers that died in the tsunami, and the
other was to respect the local surfers that couldn’t surf, or can’t
surf for a long time. one month wasn’t too much for me to sacrifice.
i still have in my mind what my surfer friend Azumi-san from tohoku
told me “kirby, we surfers are STRONG!” that has kept me going and
will keep me going forever. i’m looking forward to the day we can all
surf together again. i’m looking for the day when everything gets
back to normal. and i’m looking for the day where we go surf, come in
and drink a few beers, and talk story about the past.
my last wave i rode in hawaii was dedicated to the surfers that passed
away.
my first wave i ride tomorrow will be dedicated to the tohoku
surfers. WE SHALL ALL SURF TOGETHER AGAIN! i’m with you all the way…

This is a dark suntan! Haha.

i saw kelia moniz yesteray!!! yeah, i went to a surf shop and seeing
my nieces photos made so happy. her smile brightened up my day! or
should i say, my month! seeing her photo made me miss hawaii so much
that i almost cried. i was happy to finally see a photo of hawaii,
and to make it better, a photo of hawaii with kelia. and to make it
even better, a photo we worked hard to get. i remember having so much
fun that day shooting kelia and to see the results, i can’t be a
happier photographer, and uncle. now i realize what makes me happy.
bright sunny fun photos of hawaii. so now when i get back tomorrow,
i’m going to show you a whole new side of hawaii. the fun, the
smiles, and the aloha! gosh, i miss my family…
by the way, it’s 4:30 am and even though it will take me 7 hours to
get to the airport, i’m not complaining…. goodbye today, hello
hawaii tomorrow…. see you in the water….