good evening. went early to the north shore this morning. it was dark, rainy, and cloudy on the way out but once i got to the beach, it was sunny and perfect. i think today was the first day of the year were every spot on the north shore was going off!! south/east winds making perfect clean off shore waves from haleiwa to sunset beach. a classic day. i went down to a little beach break where only 3 other guys were out. wait, 10 if you add in the moniz clan. after that, i paddled out to backdoor for the first time this year. i just wanted to get the feeling of the vibe out there. it was actually pretty good. anyway, got some nice photos but check out this story first…

there i was sitting on the beach watching the kids surf. then to the side, this group of tourist with their cameras came to the waters edge. it looked like the perfect day for a swim, so that’s what they thought. after i seen them take off their shirts and jump in the water, i knew trouble was coming. with no lifeguards in sight, i kept an eye on them. tony moniz was up at the house watching and thinking the same thing. 2 guys were swimming for about 10 minutes when they decided to make it back to the beach. well, it’s not so easy, especially when there is a rip current taking them straight out to sea. so like normal people, they try to fight the current swimming against it. they all get tired, one of their friends jump in to try to save them, then he gets into trouble. now you got 3 big guys out there yelling “HELP” and practically drowning. tony and i whistle to the kids surfing up the beach.

seth and fisher were the first to get to the guys. they gave them their boards and other surfers came to the guys back to the beach….

if the kids didn’t save these guys, there would have been 3 missing swimmers on the north shore of hawaii today.

seth and fisher stepped up and did a good thing today. right after that happening, the paddled back out and continued surfing. little do they know, their grommet heroes….

and last but not least, i want to welcome Tia Marie Shigematsu Trinidad into this world. she was born at 12:30am this morning at kapiolani women and childrens hospital in honolulu. contratulations russ and yoshika!!! your life will never be the same… i’m so happy for you guys and know you will both be great parents. just don’t expect to sleep good for the next year… haha…

north shore today going off!! where? everywhere. where did i take
this photo? secret beach break. not backdoor, not off the wall.
only 3 lucky guys this morning. kesa no north shore wa saiko
deshita. nami wa sugoi yokatta desu. konno beach break wa backdoor
jyanakute, off the wall jyanakute, konno beach break wa secret
desu… asa wa 3 nin shika haitenai….

NOHEA AKONI LAHAINA has changed my life. he made me realize what’s important and what’s not important in life. he taught me to appreciate everything i have. he made a positive impact on my life. he made my life a happier one. since the day i met him more than a year ago, there hasn’t been one day i haven’t thought about him. we’ve been exchanging emails a lot and even though he’s been on his death bed fighting HIV, he’d always respond promptly. so when i came back from tahiti and haven’t gotten an email from nohea in a week, i kind of knew what happened. i was scared, i was worried, and i was sad. was i ever going to know what happened? would i ever hear from nohea again? that’s been bothering me on my mind for the past week….
then yesterday, i got the notice from one of his loved ones. Nohea had passed away on november 24th in a hospital in puerto rico. he died from complications of a heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. at 16 years old, he was way too young. getting that email was hard for me, and still is. i’m lost for words. but i know that there are others out there that nohea has touched and that should know what happened. i’m going to miss talking to my little angel. i’m going to miss the positive energy he use to give me. i’m going to miss reading his poems and stories that made me laugh and cry. and i’m going to miss the little surfer kid that made me realize i had and have a great life… i will never ever forget the kid that turned something so bad into something so good….. bye bye nohea…..
**if you don’t know nohea’s story, check out some earlier blog posts.
My Mail Friend that Touched my Heart: Nohea’akoni Keali’imakai
The Wizzard of Harlem- by Nohea’akoni Keali’imakai