good morning. 6:30am and the waves came up overnight. north shore looks 4-6′ but the swell kind of looks straight. or more out of the north. we’ll just have to see if the pipe masters are on. it might be the backdoor masters if it’s on today because backdoor is looking good. got some dark clouds over the island but should clear up. south winds on the way so epic conditions on the north shore all week. what a great north shore winter for waves so far. better enjoy it while you can because it can turn shitty for 2 months straight. remember last year? well, have a nice day….

walking through a little remote island in the maldives a couple of years ago was an experience. the people there were so shy compared to other countries. they kind of kept to themselves. but the thing i remember the most were the smiles. happy smiles. we couldn’t communicate through words but their smiles were enough to make you feel warm and welcomed….

gosh, i still can’t get over the simple lifestyle there. they don’t need the materialistic things, all they need is each other….

wanted to say hello to miura-san and the locals over there in toyama. sorry i couldn’t make it there this year but i’m still thinking about our awesome memories last time. memories that i’ll never forget, and keep secret… mahalo…

i met this little cutie last time in okinawa. and i’m glad she won the stickers in the presents section of go-naminori. if you get a chance, try your luck. if you don’t go, you don’t know… click here for G0-NAMINORI PRESENTS….

good evening. small waves today. i’ve been eating too much meat recently so felt like eating some fresh fish. so i jumped in the water in town to spear some. i really don’t like to dive in town because there is no fish, especially if you go from shore. but i didn’t have too much time so it was worth a try. i bumped into one good size uhu the whole time i was out there and now that uhu will be my dinner. if i didn’t see that fish, i would have came home and ate rice and natto. the waves are supposed to come up tomorrow but the buoys are still small. that means probably no pipe masters. heard ehukai beach park was super fun today so i might go check it out tomorrow. hope you have a great evening….
**ok, the hawaii skin diver magazine featured our okinawa trip last year, and hawaii skin diver tv featured our okinawa trip in november. so now it’s time to bust out some other photos it took. check it out…

this is kevin with dog tooth tuna #1. it took 3 shafts in the head to bring it up. when he first speared it, the tuna took both of his floats deep underwater so everybody gave up. over $1,000 in diving equipment gone in a flash. 5 min later, one float pops up with the fish still on. lucky guy, unlucky tuna, lucky me. this was the cover shot for skin diver magazine…

this is rob with dog tooth tuna #2. rob almost drowned because of this tuna. after the first shot went in, the fish took him for a ride. his snorkel ripped out of his mouth, his mask falling off, and he was gasping for air. all he had to do was let go of his float and regroup. but he didn’t want to loose the fish. i think rob would probably drown first before loosing his biggest fish. i put the second shot in and it was over…. this fish was almost 100lbs….

big dogs. it looks big on land but in the water, oh my gosh….

we caught a lot of fish on the first day. mahimahi’s, rainbow runners, groupers, uhu’s, and everything…

blue water diving is pretty much what it is, blue water. your out in the middle of the ocean miles and miles away from land, floating around waiting for the fish to come in. you have to look down and around and when you see something come in, your heart starts beating faster and faster. but you have to be calm when you approach the fish. something i have a hard time doing. if you could only see my eyes when i first see a fish, bigger than baseballs….

this is my first mahimahi i’ve ever speared. and for it to be in okinawa, i’m pretty stoked…. by the way, been getting a lot of comments on my wetsuit. my sponsor dove wetsuits japan makes these custom camo suits for me. they take 50 measurements of my body to get the perfect fit. comfort, flexability, warmth, and protection. the best in the world. if your interested in getting one, send me an email or check out the website. DOVE WETSUITS JAPAN IS THE BOMB….
**by the way, blue water diving isn’t for everyone. if your afraid of sharks, forget it. their everywhere….

good morning. 6:30am and it’s still dark outside. i guess our days are getting shorter. and the waves got shorter too. it’s pretty small on the north shore right now. seen some waist high waves at pipe and rocky’s. actually it’s the smallest it’s been all year. pipe masters starts today but no way. today’s a good day for diving. ummmm….. anyway, what ever you do, have a nice day…

i took this photo off the surfline website. i really like this angle. i think the photographer shot it from rockpiles or something. super cool shot. check out how deep this surfer is. i can’t wait for my turn….

galen sent me this photo of the smaller day at backdoor. i was sitting next to i’kaika talking about the sharks in tahiti when he paddled for this one. i was watching it from the back and knew he got barreled. it takes talent to be able to get into a position like this with that huge board. i’kaika is probably the best stand-up barrel rider in the world. by the way, i’kaika is from tahiti….

todd’s party had lucky number raffle tickets. i think it was a dollar for each. so many companies donated things. check out these lucky grand prize winners. halekulani hotel two night stay w/breakfast at orchids ($1,600 value). that was a dollar well spent….

and last but not least. that guy in the middle between aunty laurie and myself is wendell kong. i owe a lot to wendell for introducing my blog to so many people. he’s always pushing it and i’m stoked about that. he’s a good surfer and tako diver. i get a lot of information for my blogs from wendell too. he’s a super cool guy from the east side that married a japanese girl from japan. since then, wendell turned into a samurai. haha. just joking wendell. see you in the water…