for over 20 years, my job was to chase typhoons. i would be in Hawaii looking at the Philippines weather maps because i thought they were the most accurate. then when i saw a typhoon start to form, i would make some calls to Japan and decide which airport to land. for this particular one, i already knew exactly where i wanted to be on the exact date. so i buy a ticket and leave the next day.
sometimes i would arrive, get picked up, and speed to the next ferry leaving for a beautiful island. we would get there and it would be totally flat. BUT, we all knew the big waves were right around the corner. if you leave a day late, the ferry won’t leave because they’re all cancelled during typhoons. so timing is everything.
and when the typhoon swells finally hit, it never disappointed. some of the best waves on this planet!
then when the winds get onshore, we would drive to the other side of island where the winds are offshore. we check every river mouth and when we find a perfect barreling wave with nobody around, we’d be screaming like kids running down the beach. it was that good!
then on the way home, we would stop by for Japanese pizza and a cold beer. that was the way of life for over 20 seasons of my life. and now i feel like doing it all over again!
