Good morning Hawaii 4:20am.

North shore 4-6′ and good!

Ala Moana knee to waist high and good.

Diamond Head chest high and good.

Light winds so excellent morning conditions.  Afternoon onshore.

Sun, clouds, showers, and warm.

Going surfing and surfing.

Have a wonderful day!

we planned a full moon surf session this morning.  so when i walked out of my house at 5:20am, everything was looking good as the moon was shining so bright.

as we get to the beach, the thick clouds came and blocked out the light.  but we were already there so we paddled out in the pitch dark. i love it!

Tomami-san was the very first to be in the ocean, and the very first to ride a wave.  you can’t see well, but she’s riding this wave as i was following her from behind.  it was freaking amazing!

then it got lighter and we kept on surfing and surfing.  Tomami-san and Seira-chan riding together.

i think the next time we surf will be even earlier.  surfing in the dark early morning is addicting.

graceful as ever…

we’re almost there!  just a step and it’s full on nose riding!

last wave for Tomami-san.  after 7 Boot Camps and 150 waves, i think it was total success.

we came back to the beach and tried to take a photo.  i have no idea why it came out like this.  haha.  but as you can see, we were pretty stoked!

whenever somebody asks me before a surf or dive:  are there sharks???  i think to myself “omg, you just jinxed it.  now we’re going to see one!”  so right as Benji boarded Mayuki, he asked me “uncle, are there sharks?”  OMG!  hey boy, if there is ocean, there are sharks!  got it!  so don’t ever ask me again!!!just as i thought, the boys came out of the water and said there were 3 really aggressive sharks.  i just laughed.  i threw Benji my camera, Kyle threw in some bait, and told him to dive down and take a photo for me.  he looked at us like we were crazy.  but no we’re not…so Benji actually took this photo.  i’m sure he was freaking out…this kid surfs some of the biggest Pipeline waves and is scared of sharks?  you got to be kidding me right?Seth just laughs when it comes to sharks.  he knows it’s their world and he knows that if we just relax, it will be ok.  all those time of making this kid swim with sharks finally paid off.  haha…sharks or no sharks, we continue to dive.  Benji taking a deep one looking for dinner.and since the big fish we were looking for wasn’t there today, we just took home small ones just enough for dinner.  nice catch Benji!these fish are the hardest to spear.  they swim in all directions and are small. so lining up a good shot takes patience.  i only got one fish out of 6 tries.  frustrating!!!it was Benji’s first blue water dive and he caught the most fish.  beginners luck?  washed up Mayuki and headed home.  such a long day…thank you to my dive buddies.  we learn about the ocean each dive.  it’s not about a competition, it’s about connecting to the ocean and feeling like one.  someday you will be able to spear big fish like your uncles, but until then, never give up and enjoy the journey.  it’s the best feeling in the world…