wow, time sure goes by so fast. photos that i wanted to post months ago seems like years ago. this past north shore season, i went out with Naoka to surf, shoot, surf, and shoot.

walking on the beach early in the morning is cool. yes, the same beach where thousands gather for the pipeline masters. nobody around this morning. just the cool wind, thundering waves, and a few dogs taking a morning walk. the time i like best.

then to paddle out, get a few backdoor gems, and call it a day. and the sun still isn’t up yet.

getting barreled at first light is a great feeling for me. very addicting and very satisfying.

then go to the billabong house and talk to my brother in law Tony Moniz. Tony was the one who took me out to backdoor back in the 1980’s. back then, localism was fierce. Tony introduced me to the boys like Dane Kealoha, Perry Dane, Johnny Boy Gomes, Michael Ho, and many other heavy hawaiian locals. that made my life out there a lot more easier. but at the same time, when you have one of the heavy locals yelling “Go Kirby!” when a big 10′ closeout set comes, i had to go. i was more afraid of holding back then getting hurt. that’s how life use to be on the north shore back in the 1980’s.

pack up the boards in the car and head to haleiwa on the way back to town. a different playground, a different vibe, and seems like a different day.

Naoka sat on the beach and took photos of me at backdoor, i sat on the beach and took photos of Naoka at haleiwa. team work!

2 surf sessions, 2 photo shoots, and we were still back in town by 10am. feels great to have photos to relive the moment. Surf Your Dream!

if you asked me 20 years ago “what the biggest challenge of my life was?” i would say, graduating from college. if you were to ask me 10 years ago, i would say, starting my own business. if you were to ask me 5 years ago, i would say hiking up Mt. Fuji. and if you were to ask me now, i would say hiking up Acatenango. by far, this being the most challenging experience of my entire life.

the whole experience is too hard to describe in words. you kind of had to be there to feel what i felt. i didn’t scream after graduating from college, i didn’t scream when starting my own business, and i didn’t scream on top of Mt. Fuji. BUT, i screamed of joy at the top of my lungs when i reached the top of Acatenango. after that, i knew i could overcome any other challenge in my life.

being that close to an erupting volcano brought more than chicken skin, it brought joy, laughter, and even a tear. i still can’t believe what i experienced. i felt like Mother Nature was staring at me right in the eye.

straight off the airplane, to hiking up one of the tallest volcanos in central america. to think that 24 hours before this photo was taken, i was surfing at ala moana bowls.
“nothing’s going to stop me In The Wind!”

Frozen SUP? No thank you.
Good morning 6am.
Ala Moana chest high sets. Very clean.
Diamond Head overhead and very windy.
Strong trade winds at 25mph.
Super sunny and warm day.
Going surfing.
Have a wonderful day!