I checked the waves early this morning and it was really small on the North Shore.  BUT, the buoys were up since last night so it was a matter of time the swell will arrive.  They took a gamble and ran the Pipeline Masters.  Luckily, the swell showed up and the barrels were incredible.

Only 4 of the most elite Pipeline surfers made the final:  Makana Pang, John Florence, Billy Kemper, and Seth Moniz.  It was a bummer the waves in the finals were junky.  The swell got too big and was out of control.

John John Florence surfed a really smart heat.  He caught 2 smaller waves which was enough to win the Pipeline Masters.  This guy isn’t the best surfer in the world for nothing.  His connection with the ocean was flawless.

Seth got 3rd place which is still really good.  Excellent surfing these past 3 days and a very entertaining contest format.  These surfers shined today!

Last nights dinner:  Fresh Uku carpaccio with rice and miso soup.  Healthy and happy!

Good morning 4:45am.
North shore head high coming up to 6-8′ today.
Ala Moana knee high and clean.
Diamond Head waist high.
Trade winds at 15mph.
Sunny and warm.
Going to the sea.
Have a wonderful day!

It was a beautiful morning here in Hawaii.  Met up with my old time friend and talked story in the calm ocean.  We use to surf together a lot and I’m hoping that starts again.

Los Angelas, California is so happy to have Shohei Ohtani coming to the Dodgers.  The biggest deal in sports history worth $700 million in 10 years.  That seems like a lot of money but let’s break it down to what he will earn per year:

$70M Salary
minus
$25.9M Federal Tax
$4.65M California Tax
$2.1M Agent Tax
$2M Jock Tax
$1.64M FICA/Medicare
equals
$33.6M Net Income

Isn’t it crazy how taxed you get here? Welcome to America Shohei Ohtani!