i had such a great time with Takagaki-san and Noriko-san this morning. such a nice couple that just had their beautiful wedding day in hawaii a couple of days ago. after surfing together today for the first time, i’m sure they will have a great life ahead.

Noriko-san hasn’t surfed before but stood right up on her first wave and rode every one after perfectly. amazing balance!

it is Noriko-san’s first time in hawaii and she told me she likes it very much. look how beautiful it is!!!

Takagaki-san surfed with me 4 years ago. so stoked to see him back this year for his hawaiian wedding and surf session.

the nearest beach is 3-4 hours for this surfer. that’s why once he hit the water, he kept on going, going, and going. the biggest smile after each ride!

to be newlywed and to share such a great moment like this is priceless. it was the first time Noriko-san saw Takagaki-san surf. and now she can understand why he always comes home from surfing so happy. both of their smiles were glowing!

good to see Chuck and Billy paddling out to bowls. most of the locals call them “uncle.” but i can’t because they aren’t that much older than me. if there are 2 sets at bowls, these 2 men are on them. my advise to you is “don’t waste your time going out to bowls if you want a set!”

bought a poke bowl from Ono Seafood, then ate it at the park with the giraffes. so good! thank you again Takagaki-san and Noriko-san for the beautiful morning. gosh, don’t you just love the green and blue colors of hawaii? it’s so beautiful!
went surfing afternoon with Matsui-san and that’s another story coming soon. but first, i better post some photos before i forget about them.

Hiroto Ohara has been living in hawaii i think? see this kid all the time surfing so dam good.

Hiroto can get into the smallest pocket and blow out the fins. i call that “precision surfing.”

Gavin Sutherland kept on making round after round. surfing very smart and very good. catching the best waves in the heat and doing what he had to do to get the scores.

this kid was ripping too. can’t get his name right but see him all the time surfing backdoor.

Kekoa Cazimero has a good surfing style. fast and furious.

with commitment.

and when you have a good bottom turn, you can so anything you want off the top.

Kekoa chose to fly it! super sick photo! i love it! thank you Kekoa for making my job so dam easy!
more coming soon…

Perfect all day!!!

when i pulled up to diamond head yesterday morning to check the waves, i couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. picture perfect!

how do you know when the waves are good at diamond head? when there is no parking.

these are the glassy days locals wait for all year long. and when it’s glassy, it’s crowded. that’s why i surf somewhere else.

Shun Murakami at the WSL. can’t believe how grown up this kid is, and can’t believe how good this kid surfs.

cool riding on the back of a jet ski for 2 reasons. first is the view, second is i get up and close with all the surfers. most of all i grew up with, surf with, or just know for years and years.

the Hawaiian Water Patrol shuttle surfers in and out to bowls. so i’m sitting on the back talking story to everybody because everybody knows i like to talk story. haha. here is Joshua and Shun on the way back from their heat. it’s pretty nervous when you don’t know who advanced.

Kaimana Jaquias is the son of my friend Kaipo. Kaipo and i use to hang out in japan together surfing the ASP contests back in the early 1990’s. we had some great times in and out of the water. a good father to this amazing kid.

Seth on the ski like a monkey on my back. haha. this was one of my dreams when Seth was a little boy. to be connected through surfing. and it’s not a dream anymore, it’s real! a lot of people say we look alike. do you think so?

i have to say one thing about japanese. japanese support japanese. some of the boys lost early, but they all came back to support each other. i think that is so special and so respectful. Shun was the last remaining japanese in the contest and when he lost, everybody left. so did i.

want to congratulate Joel Centeio for winning the contest! you were ripping dude!

and want to congratulate my long time friend Sunny Garcia for scaring all the japanese boys in the heats. haha. 2nd place for a 45 year old triathlete is awesome. congratulations Sunny!
FINAL:
1st – Joel Centeio (Haleiwa, Oahu) – 13.25points (9.0; 4.25) – $2,300, 1000 ratings points.
2nd – Sunny Garcia (Haleiwa, Oahu) – 12.9 (6.9; 6.0) – $1,200, 750 ratings points.
3rd – Hank Gaskell – (Hana, Maui) – 11.5 (7.4; 4.5) – $800, 560 ratings points.
4th – Kaimana Jaquias – (Lihue, Kauai) – 6.15 (4.9; 1.25) – $600, 525 ratings points.
SEMI-FINALS – 1st and 2nd advance, 3rd=5th place, 4th=7th place
S1: Joel Centeio; Kaimana Jaquias; Kai Barger; Makai McNamara
S2: Sunny Garcia, Hank Gaskell, Evan Valiere, Luke Shepardson
QUARTER FINALS – 1st and 2nd advance, 3rd=9th place, 4th=13th place
H1: Makai McNamara; Kaimana Jaquias; Seth Moniz; Sheldon Paishon
H2: Joel Centeio; Kai Barger; Robson Santos (BRA); Shun Murakami (JPN)
H3: Hank Gaskell; Sunny Garcia; Kekoa Cazimero; Gavin Sutherland
H4: Luke Shepardson; Evan Valiere; Kalani David; Kevin Sullivan
H8: Kevin Sullivan; Kekoa Cazimero; Kain Daly; Kaulana Apo