so stoked to see Komatsubara-san ripping on my 5’7 GM by TS.

a magic board for me and a magic board for everyone. so stoked to have boards that will work in any conditions.

and always happy to surf watching the sun rise. good surfing again Komatsubara-san!

super stoked to hear from Kaneko-san and his son Rei-kun. the kids growing up into a fine young man. keep on surfing boys! and hope to see you in hawaii again!

just downloaded these photos from our super cool session with Fujiki-san. glassy!

great surfing Fujiki-san. keep on surfing and keep on smiling.

i’ve been researching a lot about whisky. very interested in the aging and production process. someday i hope to buy a barrel too. cheers!

3D Sand Art.
Good morning 5:40am.
Small surf today.
Ala Moana waist high and little bumpy. 8 surfers out.
Diamond Head chest high and bumpy.
Light East wind becoming stronger tomorrow.
Little clouds near the mountains but sunny near the ocean.
Warm day.
Going Naminori.
Have a wonderful day!

had a great time surfing with Komatsubara-san this morning. went early and surfed for 3 hours! i kept on saying go, go, and go, and he kept going, going, and going. super good session!

then we went to talk story with one of the most famous surfers in the world, Glenn Minami. i think surfer/shaper relationships are very important. if you can communicate, the chances of you getting a magic board increases by 100%.

thank you Glenn for making the time on a precious sunday to meet us. your new designs look amazing! can’t wait to get one!

then flew over to the north shore. ate hulihuli chicken which is a hawaiian local favorite!

if you see only tourists in the line, it’s a trap. but when you see more locals than tourists in a line, it’s the real deal. this hulihuli chicken in haleiwa is the real deal. only open on weekends. when i went to pick up the food, the girl working there says “hey, you are the guy that does videos yeah? i said, yes. then she says “you know Kazubo-san from okinawa yeah?” omg, what a small world! another okinawan/hawaiian connection. a friend of Kazubo-san is definitely a friend of mine!

half a chicken, pineapple cole slaw, and rice. the perfect local style lunch.

then we went to go check out the infamous pipeline. you would never imagine this place hosts the best wave in the world. it’s totally different in the summer. people get famous here, and people die here. looks so calm, but deep inside, it’s scary.

Komatsubara-san only seen pipeline in videos and photos. today was the real thing. standing in front of Gerry Lopez’s house, the heart of pipeline. take a look at the sky!!! no, i didn’t photoshop this photo, this is really how it looked today. no sky can get any bluer than this.

then passed by Waimea Bay. another place that makes and takes lives.

then passed by the bakery to pick up my favorite snow puffs. the best of the best.
going down. super burnt and tired. surfing again tomorrow with Komatsubara-san. hope to get some good sleep and some good waves. oyasuminasai.