this morning was the last day of 2019 and super stoked to see everybody out trying to get their last waves of the year.  had my 2 special guests again that aren’t supposed to be in Hawaii.  haha…  i wanted to do 2 things today.  foiling was one so that was done from 7:30-9:30…second was to surf.  that was from 10:15 to 12:30 with Uehara-san.  this guy is super stoked on surfing.  he’s getting better and better each wave.  a great end of 2019 for this newborn surfer.  thank you Fujimoto-san for sending this happy man my way…a magic board and a magic session will change your life…happy to see Brittney out hanging 10 into 2020…this was one of the best waves of the day!  so stoked to see Uehara-san riding it!  us boys having the best last day of the year.  want to wish all my family and friends in Japan a Happy New Year 2020.  it’s already the new year there!  kotoshi mou yoroshiku onegaishimasu.  our last day of 2019 is coming to an end and i’m looking forward to next.  ALWAYS LOOKING FORWARD!!!

yesterday evening when i was driving home from the beach, i turned on my iTunes and played the song Shimanchu Nu Takara from Begin.  this is one of the few songs that had a huge impact in my life.  all positive, all joyful, and all great memories.  check out this video i put together of my friends in Okinawa.  i can watch this over and over and my happiness will never go away.  just like Hawaii, Okinawa will always be Okinawa.  good to see all you boys and girls!!!

want to thank Nao-san for sending me some photos of the Pipe Masters day.  when Tony, Rainos, and I get together, we talk about everything.  we analyze people, conditions, heats, waves, and most importantly, Seth.  most things are unpredictable, but Seth Moniz isn’t.  he’s one of the most confident and calm competitor on the tour.  if Mother Nature provides him with something, he will make the most out of it.  we all agree on that…so many kids love Seth, and if you were a kid, you would love him too.from now until April 2020 is a break for the WCT, and also for us.  it’s been a long year but all the success was worth it.  we didn’t get a world title, but we got a “Rookie of the Year” award which can only happen once in a competitors life.  a huge accomplishment for the Moniz Camp…i was watching this beautiful wave coming in.  it was head high and perfect.  i saw it start to barrel and i knew these 2 surfers were out of position.  i mean way out of position!  BUT…i bet you this was the closest to a barrel this guy ever got!  and for that split second, it must have felt so dam good.  i call this getting automatically barreled!  haha…