omg again! the waves were omg so freaking good! perfect 3-5′, no wind, and peeling like something you would see only in indonesia. so far, the best summer ever! and the awesome thing is that there are 2 more back to back swells this week! i’m going to surf until i can’t surf anymore. and even more then that.

took Yokomura-san for a surf today. last year it was big, this year it was big too. but Yokomura-san caught way more waves, and had much bigger smiles.

it’s such a great feeling for me to see everybody enjoying surfing so much. Yokomura-san started surfing at the age of 48, and keeps on telling me how it changed his life so much. he wished he started earlier like most surfers, but i think starting late is better. more mature, more calm, more relax, and more stoke. it’s never too late to start surfing, just ask this happy man.

good bottom turn, good view, good surfing, and good day!

even i was so stoked surfing. haven’t long boarded in a while so felt good riding perfect waves for so long. i wish i could even ride it longer.

seen a lot of fish. that’s rare for out there.

just shot some locals enjoying a perfect summer surfing day.

i want to thank my mom for giving birth to me right here in honolulu. she couldn’t have picked a better place for a baby like me. look how beautiful this is!

then ate some pho and called it a day. thank you Yokomura-san for the wonderful morning. went surfing in the afternoon. wasn’t half as good as morning, but still fun.
more mega swells this summer! see you in the water!

Perfect overhead surf!!!!

i came home yesterday at 4pm. started downloading photos and working on my computer. all the time, watching the live surf cams. 5:30pm comes and things change. the contest is over for the day. the winds taper off. bowls started to look like mentawai. i drop all my work, shut down my computer, jump in the truck, and speed to the beach. i call Kimura-san and say “get ready! let’s go! we are going to score!!” we meet, we paddle out, and we have one of our best sessions ever! perfect 4′ barreling lefts and just a few kids out. i swear i thought i was in indonesia. surfed till sunset!
the Hawaiian Water Patrol have been making our oceanic events the safest on the planet. we are surrounded with water related sports almost every weekend. the Hawaiian Water Patrol guys not only make it safe, but these guys risk their lives for others. i mean they would die for someone they don’t even know. having an experienced waterman by your side watching everything you do is a sense of security.

my drivers were Kamalani and Clifton. two very highly qualified hawaiians from the north shore. normal photographers wouldn’t dare taking their $3000 camera into the ocean without a proper water housing. me? i just charged it without one because i knew these guys would keep me dry. and they did. want to thank Kawika, Kamalani, Clifton, and the other Hawaiian Water Patrol boys for taking care of me during the past 3 days. you guys are all cool hawaiians! thanks for keeping our oceans safe for us to play in!

yes, i was on the back of the ski in the best position possible watching and capturing all the action as it happened. i kind of felt guilty at times. when i came in, my sister told me “how the heck did you pull that off?” i just had to smile at that one.

Kaito Ohashi in round 3. gosh, Kaito surfs so good. action off the lip photo.

Joshua Moniz very smooth and powerful. he ended up losing to Shun in the last minute. bummed for Joshua, stoked for Shun.

Nick Mita flying high in round 3. sick photo Nick!
have so many photos to post, so little time like usual. a bigger swell on tuesday, and a bigger one this weekend. that means i’ll even fall more behind in work. sorry everybody for not replying to texts, calls, and emails. when the surf’s up, that’s all i think about. surf first, everything comes after. that’s been my life for the past 30 years and i don’t think it will ever change. gomenasai.