Good morning 4:40am.

North shore 8-10 and wild.

Strong wind so bumpy morning.  Maybe cleaner later.

Pipeline Masters ON!  Maybe start at 8am or 10am.

Ala Moana knee high and bumpy.

Diamond Head head high and too windy.

Strong trade winds at 30mph.

Sun, clouds, showers, and huge rainbows.

Going PIPE MASTERS!!!

Have a wonderful day!

wow, had another twilight surf session this morning.  i couldn’t even see and neither could anybody.  haha.  but here i was riding behind Ryu-san…  story coming tomorrow because had another story to tell first…i followed this kid ever since he was born.  i was documenting his life and everything that came with it.  Seth Moniz was special, he had something most kids didn’t.  and that thing was motivation, passion, and confidence.  you won’t find another 8 year old surfing like this at Queen’s in Waikiki.  another special thing Seth has is his heart.  so warm, so caring, and so loving.  i took the boys hiking in the mountains and right before us, this little wild pig fell off the cliff.  it was pretty much dead.  but Seth ran up to it, wrapped it in his t-shirt, comforted it, and brought it back to life.  i was in awe…  then he carried it out of the mountain, we took it to the hospital, and it survived.  i’ll never forget that moment of a young boy giving his heart to a helpless little pig.  as for surfing Backdoor/Pipeline, these kids were terrified and wanted nothing to do with it.  so one day, i tricked all the boys and told them it was Ehukai sandbar.  i even parked my car somewhere else so when walked down the beach, it didn’t look like Pipeline.  but it was.  haha.  then after our session, i told the boys, “welcome to Pipeline!”  you should have seen their faces.  here is Seth getting barreled at Backdoor when he was a kid…i wanted to take all the boys with me to Japan every year, but Seth was the only one that wanted to come.  he was a very curious kid and this is what made him strong.  here we are at the Dove Factory…he wrote out his name in the sand at Ikumi Beach in Shikoku.  this is called “making your mark.” at the Billabong house, Seth was just a little kid that everybody thought was so cute.  little did this cute kid know, he would someday be the man!  Seth surfs against Kelly Slater tomorrow and it’s going to be a good one.  i dreamt of this day many years ago and it’s crazy that it’s happening at one of the biggest days in surfing competition history.  so much on the line for everybody tomorrow but if i’d choose one of the guys that can keep calm and be confident, it’s the Rookie Seth Moniz.

check out this video i took of Seth in Japan when he was 12 years old.  i just watched it again and i couldn’t stop laughing.   at that young age, he already knew he was going to be on the WCT.  and to see where he is today, it’s wonderful, it’s amazing, and it’s heartwarming.  if you have a little young surfer, have him watch this video, and have him watch the Pipeline Masters tomorrow.  it’s a real show of a kid chasing his dream, and now living it…

if you see the sun out in the morning.  try to look at the mountains.  then if you see showers, get ready for the amazing rainbow to follow.  that’s why i know where there will be a rainbow.  simple yeah?  Ryu-san is getting good really fast.  yesterday, we took out 3 totally different longboards out and tried them all.  i tell everybody “the longboard won’t adjust to you, so you have to adjust to it.  so for the first wave, keep calm and just go straight.  feel the board and take it from there.”  just like this!  Nao-san adjusted well too.  all you have to do is look forward and enjoy the view…even when the waves are small, i’m still searching for the barrel…Ryu-san on the 10′ and making it look so easy.  my high school friend Russ in the back giving the shaka sign.  sorry Russ for the drop in.  haha…Nao-san on the magic 9’6.  everybody wants this surfboard but this one is going into my grave with me.  haha…i was watching the UFC fights with Keahi yesterday.  he was screaming out loud too!  haha…my Mom has a plant outside her house for years.  it never flowered before so this is the first time.  OMG!  so beautiful!