i woke up this morning and found out i have a day off! yeah! needed to get into the ocean and play, so i gave my friend Dean a call. we went surfing and was surprised it was sunny, warm, off shore, and bigger than yesterday! perfect chest high sets and only 5 local surfers out? score! had a great time catching up with the very one who trained me in the gym for years. lots of catching up indeed. good to see you again Dean! let’s start surfing again!
right as we were to go in, the big storm came. i went home and thought it would be a movie day.

BUT, the rain passed, the sun popped back out, i made a call, and it was on! i haven’t dove in a really long time so i was looking forward to this.

it was so beautiful! the whole island was preparing for the hurricane but us surfers were preparing for a day in the beautiful ocean! even the turtles were out! where’s the storm?

on the way to our dive spot, i drove over my secret dive ledge at 40′ deep. i always have a pole on the boat so we got it out and tested our luck. actually, no need luck here because i dive here all the time and know what is under us. nothing is guaranteed in fishing but i can guarantee you will catch a fish on every drop here.

not only 1 fish at a time, you can catch 3 fish at a time. good job Yuko-chan!

one girl with one pole. filled up the bucket within 30 minutes with Taepe or Bluestripe Snapper. very good eating fish! i bet Yuko-chan’s arms got bigger today.

then we got bored with fishing so we went diving. Reid speared his first Kumu! i was super far away from him when i heard him yelling underwater. haha. he was super stoked! once you catch a Kumu, you’re officially hooked on free diving.

the 3 of us caught a mixed bag of good eating fish. then Mr. Shark came by trying to eat our catch so it was time to get back on the boat and call it a day. i was so happy to see the fish coming back to my spot!

then i had to drive to kalani high school. i got on the freeway at ala moana and was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic all the way. on a normal day, i’d be frustrated and angry. but today, i was so at peace. i just stayed in the slow lane and took my time listing to music and remembering this wonderful day i spent with my friends. it’s been a while.

a usual 10 minute drive took me 30 minutes. no problem. it’s unbelievable how important diving is in my life. to hold your breath for minutes underwater watching nature taking its course is totally amazing. i did 39 dives today. Reid and Yuko-chan must have had 60 dives each. i watched them going up and down all the time. i forgot to tell them they have to rest between dives. haha. on the drive back, we were all in a good place mentally. a feeling you can’t get anywhere else.

then i come home and smell something sweet as i was opening the door. the perfect gardenia just bloomed this evening. i know that because i checked it today and there was nothing.

i pick it, take it into the house, and put it into water.

as i’m typing this, i’m feeling so satisfied about today smelling my sweet gardenia. can’t’ wait to do it all over again. good night.

Fish
Dive
Friends
Fun

a lot of people ask me the difference from a swallow tail and round pin. most of my boards are round pin and i love it because the turns are super smooth. this is a rare swallow tail i own. the turns pivot a little as each side of the tail wants to release the water. totally different boards for totally different waves. but i were to choose one, it would have to be a round tail.

Taketoshi is here for a 2 week home stay. i took him surfing yesterday afternoon and we had a great time. perfect from the beginning till the end. a very fast learner indeed.

after 45 minutes on the 11’0, he wanted to try the 9’6. i was amazed how fast he paddled and how quickly he turned to the right. a very smart kid!

i rode the 11’0 and decided to surf and do yoga at the same time. this is killing two birds with one stone. namaste.

i point to Diamond Head and ask Taketoshi “what is that mountain called?” he said “ummm, Rock Mountain?” haha. so cute!

we both needed a haircut so we went to my barber. the $12 special cut is the best price on the island. this is before.

this is during.

and this is after. feel so clean and so young. haha. enjoy the rest of your home stay here in Hawaii Taketoshi! and please don’t forget Diamond Head. haha.