omg, just found this book in my closet.  i haven’t seen it for 10 years!  Happy 60th Birthday in Mentawai 2009.  it was Tokura-san’s special birthday that everybody that was there will remember for a lifetime.  all photos by Kenji Sahara…all i remember was surfing perfect HT’s and Rifles with only a few out.  barreling every single day and partying every single night…diving every single day and eating sashimi every single night…look how young and slim Toda-san was!  so cool!!!i just remember that trip being probably the best boat trip ever!  barrels of fun!pulling up to HT’s in the afternoon and the waves started to get perfect.  Tokura-san paddles out in the evening on his 60th birthday.  a set comes straight to him, he turns, paddles in, and gets the best barrel of the day!  i’ll never forget that moment and ever since then, that has become my dream when i turn 60.  going on a boat and getting barreled with friends.  a priceless moment…it was a party at sea.  only the best of friends enjoying the best of times…i’ve been with Dove Wetsuits since 1992.  that’s pretty much Dove for life…

in the 40 days Seira-chan was here, i seen her growing up so fast.  she wanted to walk the longboard and that happened fast.  she wanted to free dive, and that was natural to her.  she also wanted to learn about people.  so i taught her the good, the bad, the ugly, and the jealous.  haha.  yeah, i remember telling her that a lot of people probably don’t like her because she’s smart, sweet, kind, respectful, and surfs so dam good.   jealousy turns people into haters.  so i told her the more people that hate you, the better you must be doing.  that’s the world we live in now so it’s all good…Seira-chan also had the opportunity to teach others how to surf, and how to be calm.  just by watching her, you will learn something…and the smile became much more radiant.  i can tell she’s very happy and in a very good place, the ocean.passing by a wild rosemary plant with Seira-chan, i took a couple branches.i gave it to her and i knew she’d figure out what to do with it.  dish 1.  rosemary garlic shrimp.dish 2.  rosemary grilled chicken.  yeah, not too many young girls can be creative and cook like this these days.  good job!  surfing with Seira-chan everyday was a treat.  we went with the flow everyday and let the ocean decide our course.  that’s the life i love so much so it was good to see her loving it too.  keeping calm, smiling, and just enjoying every moment nature puts in front of us.  the rain, the coldness, the sunburn, the moonlight, and the beautiful rainbows of Hawaii.  and i also want to thank Seira-chan for keeping me calm a couple of times too.  when i was thinking too much at times, she would say “breathe!”  haha.  glad you got back to Japan safely.  keep the smile, and keep the Aloha…

Playing with my little Grand Nephew.  So cute…

Good morning 4:30am.

North shore chest high and bumpy.

Ala Moana overhead and junky in the morning.  Better in the afternoon.

Diamond Head 5′ and wild.

Strong trade winds at 30mph.

Sun, showers, and huge rainbows.

Going searching for the perfect wave.

Have a wonderful day!