between my morning and afternoon surf sessions yesterday, i had a 20 minute break. i was so sleepy after surfing in the morning and eating a poke bowl and shave ice. so i parked my car at ala moana park, climbed in the back seat, and slept. i couldn’t sleep well. i woke up 3x! how? i woke up to my own snoring! 3x in the 20 minutes. haha. i must have been really tired.

then i feel fresh again. pick up Matsui-san. we drive to bowls and i could see some change in the conditions. the earlier onshore winds made it really ugly, but i felt a slight chill in the air. that means, north winds! the winds switched from straight onshore to straight offshore. nobody around! only 3 guys out at bowls, and nobody out at rock piles! so we paddle to rock piles and surf alone. look how glassy the waves are! this is called “epic conditions!”

before we paddled out, Matsui-san told me the biggest wave he surfed in his life was chest high. i told him “today is your lucky day! the smallest wave out there is chest high.” haha. he looked nervous but i’m good at pushing people past their limits.

after 30 or so biggest waves in his life, Matsui-san felt like a reborn surfer. i was laughing after each wave he caught because i know that feeling all too well. then he would paddle back out with the biggest smile.

been watching this turtle swim up to me every time i go to rock piles. i’m thinking about naming her. such a cute baby turtle.

since nobody was out, i thought i’d grab a few waves too. always looking for the barrel.

in the soup, in the barrel.

imagine coming to hawaii and all of a sudden begin challenged to the biggest waves of your life? Matsui-san did wonderful going up over the big sets.

and when he couldn’t go over the waves, i taught him how to go under the waves. i swear there were some way overhead sets up to 4′. i would have been freaking out if i were him.

the afternoon was cloudy so it was pretty dark under water. look at Matsui-san diving under the hugest freak set!

by the end of the 3 hour session, Matsui-san surfed like a professional. good style and good balance. this is perfect surfing!

i’m sure when Matsui-san goes back to japan, the waves are going to feel tiny. good job surfer dude!

Nice try!
Good morning 5:30am.
Perfect surf again!
Head high sets at Ala Moana and perfect.
Only 6 surfers at Bowls.
Diamond Head bigger and perfect.
Everywhere super good this morning.
No wind so very glassy morning becoming onshore around 10am.
Super sunny and very warm.
Surfing all day!
See you in the water.

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…