by now, the whole world knows what happened in south africa. it headlined on CNN and BBC all day yesterday. my sister and i were texting each other that night. and since Seth is in south africa right now filming for a surf video, we were all concerned about him. as a pro surfer, you kind of have to surf in sharky waters no matter what. it’s just part of the job. but this is an exception. you DO NOT surf at the same surf spot that somebody just got attacked the day before, especially in south africa. that shark still swims around that area and is still hunting for prey. in this case, surfers. it’s his home, it’s his territory, and it’s his world. we are on the outside and should respect it.

super stoked on the new watch Maki-san just gave me. it supposed to give you surf report forecasts and everything. can’t wait to go back to hawaii and set it up. thank you Maki-san!

right before i came on this trip, i went to enjoy an afternoon at my super secluded secret beach somewhere in hawaii. as i was pulling up, i could see something on the beach i’ve never seen before. got closer and thought to myself “OMG, could it be debris from the tsunami?” 4.5 years later? really? i jump off the boat, swim to the beach, and approach what looked like a japanese fishing boat. OMG, a japanese fishing boat that was lost in the tsunami. all the way from japan! i was going to call the news and report it but didn’t want to expose this beautiful beach to the world. i took more photos and am hoping somebody can help me find the owner. and of course, there must be a story behind it too. if i lost my boat, i would want it back. so if the person that lost this boat wants it back, i’ll do anything i can to help him. thank you.

i was craving Marutaya Ramen so badly!!! thank goodness i got to go eat some. from the first spoon to the last, i was in heaven.

and only here you will find saba sushi on the table.

and a really big fresh egg.

Marutaya Ramen in wakayama is the best ramen in the world!

hanging out at Kaisers Surf Shop with old friends, and new friends. it’s amazing how small this surfing world is. look at all these beautiful people!

one thing i don’t really care for anymore is riding crowded trains in the hot and humid weather. sweating all day long.

welcome back typhoon 12! i left hawaii and it looked promising. then all of a sudden, it disappeared 2 days ago! then today, it reappeared! the perfect typhoon course for some amazing waves coming up in the next few days. i use to change my schedule by the day, but this time, i’m changing it by the hour. i’m on standby mode sitting in my hotel waiting for the call to the best place in japan. and when i get that call, i’m on a train, bus, airplane, or surfboard. any way to get some amazing barrels. see you there!

and wanted to thank Michi-san for the wonderful snacks!

and also wanted to thank Abe-san from Ishinomaki for the treats! perfect for my chazuke!

these are cool too. thank you Abe-san! hope to see your super surfing again soon!

so i get a text from Bobby late last night. “MICK GOT ATTACKED!!” i was dazed? attacked? what? by someone? so i turn on the live streaming web for the contest in south africa and watch the action. freaking unbelievable!

to see someone you know and see surfing every year on the north shore, it kind of hits harder than usual.

the shark pretty much attacked him. luckily Mick’s in one piece and it’s unbelievable that he survived it without a scratch.

what do you do after you look death in the eyes? thank god. i’m sure Mick knows how lucky he is. i’m just not sure if he will ever surf Jeffrey’s Bay ever again. i surely wont.

and i give his competitor Julian Wilson credit for paddling over to Mick to try to help him. that’s pretty dam brave of him to do that.

they ended up canceling the contest and splitting the prize money and points between Mick and Julian. good call.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtzu9Vgb_zE[/youtube]