during the Pipeline Masters, Mateus came to sit by us and play in the sand.  right from the start, he started to form a mountain. shaping it with determination, and making it with passion.   Mateus told me this is Mauna Kea.  then he told me he remembers everything about our trip to the Mauna.   good job making the Mauna!  gosh, i really want to get a haircut like Mateus!  haha.  so cute…  an hour later, he was playing in the sand with Kaira, and started to make a mountain for her.  i’m pretty sure he was teaching Kaira about his experience on the Mauna.  somebody sent my sister this photo.  this was the first time i went up to the Mauna.  even though a lot of people told me not to take the kids, i did anyway.  i wanted them to learn and see it for themselves.  and this is the only way.  it was actually a sad moment for all of us as you can see in our eyes.  what’s even more sad are the people still up there protecting their mountain and what they believe in.  this conflict is not even close to a solution, but i’m hoping it ends without a 100′ telescope on such a sacred and beautiful mountain…

Kids Winter vacation in Hawaii…

Good morning 4:45am.

North shore chest high.

Ala Moana waist high and clean.

Diamond Head chest high and good.

North/East winds at 15mph.

Sunny and cool.

Going to the ocean.

Have a wonderful day!

yesterday’s Christmas day must have been the worst ever in terms of weather.  it was storming, it was windy, and it actually felt like a typhoon in Japan.  and when there’s typhoon winds, there’s typhoon waves.  Diamond Head was breaking in places i’ve never seen break before.if somebody could have dropped me off way on the outside, i would have loved to try to foil back to the beach.  but to paddle out?  forget it…you will never see a Christmas Day in Hawaii with the beaches so empty.  it’s usually packed!  i never seen a single surfer in the water yesterday in town…even the Hilton Lagoon had waves!  haha…this morning was much different.  no wind, sunny, warm, and lots of good waves!   Nao-san was ready for her 6’0 shortboard experience.  and once she got up, i knew she would love the ride… most of the island must have thought the waves were still junk from yesterday because there were only a handful of guys out.  once again, when you have the right board and positive mind, you will have the perfect session…thank you Nao-san for all the wonderful days of Boot Camp.  you went a couple levels up for sure and it’s only going to get better!  good surfing girl!