had an awesome time this morning with Watanabe-san. super cool surfer/photographer from hokkaido. he’s here to shoot, surf, and shoot. so that’s what we did!

Watanabe-san wanted to shoot barrels so that was easy to decide on where to go. sandy beach shore break! as i pulled up, i couldn’t believe you could just pull up front row and get a view like this. only in hawaii.

it was his first time shooting in shore break so i kept on telling him, “be very careful. this beach is the most dangerous beach in the world for a reason.” as i watched him set up his equipment, it reminded me of myself just a few years ago.

top of the line equipment for top of the line money.

there was a high surf advisory for the east shores of oahu. the waves didn’t look that big from the beach but when the sets came, it was huge! this is a cool photo!

i kept my eye on Watanabe-san the whole time. people die here each year and you have to watch out for one another. surely a great experience for a young aspiring photographer.

then we went around the corner to check out one of my favorite views in the world. it couldn’t have been a better day.

imagine coming from hokkaido to hawaii for the first time and seeing this? amazing!

had such a great time with Watanabe-san today. i’m sure he took some amazing photos on top of his amazing rides this morning.

then it was shave ice, surf check, and whale check. yeah, seen 3 whales out by the red buoy at diamond head.

today was one of the most beautiful days ever! perfect weather with cool trade winds.

then i got home this evening and ate a Marutaya Ramen. the perfect end to a perfect day! going sleep before 9 because Watanabe-san and i are going to dawn patrol somewhere. can’t wait!

Free air conditioning.
Free parking.
Free ocean.
Free mind.

had a super good session with Seigo-san. very nice guy, very kind, very gentle, very hard worker, and very good surfer.

and good to see Seigo-san trimmed down. he lost a lot of weight and it shows in his surfing. much faster than before!

caught some good waves all morning long.

if you think Seigo-san has a good view, look at my view! watching your friend ripping right in front of you with diamond head in the back? it’s like a dream!

caught a couple myself.

cutback time!
thank you Seigo-san for the awesome surf! see you soon in Marutaya Ramen in wakayama!