ok, waves finally getting better on the north shore. still not the best, but better than the past month. i was running around the island today getting things done. and of course, watching the contest from my iphone.

i couldn’t believe how good Seth Moniz was surfing!!! OMG, 16 years old and blowing the competition! he once again posted the 2nd highest score of the whole day, a 9.17 ride! the commentators and spectators were amazed by his surfing and tube riding skills. both waves making the highlight reel of the day!

Seth doesn’t hold back at all. after getting picked on by his 4 older siblings his whole life, he don’t take shit from anybody now. he was just going 100% on every wave. i was screaming while watching it again!!!

yup, the little guy beating the rest of the big boys. he’s been on top of his game so far and if i were in his next heat, i’d be nervous. watch out world, this little boy is on fire!

then it was Isaiah Moniz’s turn. yet another great performance leading the heat from start to finish. yes, i was screaming again!! Isaiah is a very smart competitor with big smooth turns that suits sunset very well.

after the heat, they interviewed Isaiah and he said he was nervous after watching his little brother Seth surf so well earlier. that was funny. anyway, wanted to congratulate my 2 young nephews for representing hawaii in a positive way. you boys are shining and the whole world is watching you take down the worlds top pros. keep on going, give it your all, and never look back! i’ll be watching you!!!

Hiroto Arai got into the contest as a last minute alternate because world champion Joel Parkinson got hurt free surfing pipeline. Joel had to go by ambulance to the hospital. hope he’s ok. anyway, congratulations the lone japanese surfer that’s going to round 3. great surfing Hiroto!

before i buy something, i try it. so i went down to the dealer to test ride the exact motorcycle i want. will buy one the day i get back from my trip and the first place i’m going is deep into the mountains! can’t wait!

had a great time surfing with Kumiko-san. another surfer girl that just wants to get better and better. and yes, she got better and better in one session.

perfect balance, perfect bending of the knees, and perfect looking forward. perfect surfing.

great job Kumiko-san! keep on surfing!

check out some photos Uchiyama-san from chigasaki sent me. this is shonan a few days ago!

it’s december, cold, and still everybody wants to surf!

i remember coming here to kugenuma almost everyday when i use to live in shonan. i would sit on this wall watching people all day long. i was so amazed on the japanese surf culture. and still am.

i actually surfed here about 10 times in my life. and all 10 times, it was this crowded. when i took off, i couldn’t turn because there were too many people in the way. haha.

and the thing that use to fascinate me the most was how dedicated japanese surfers were. the water was cold, the wind was cold, and the weather was cold. but there would be thousands of surfers in the ocean anyway. that’s how much japanese love surfing. i really respected that. thank you Uchiyama-san for these cool photos.
maybe next week i’ll go back to my roots of surfing in japan. stay at a hotel in kugunuma and surf this everyday? i think i will have fun!

Welcome to Big Wave Surfing!
Good morning 6am.
North shore: 6-8′ and much cleaner than the past weeks.
South shore: waist high and clean.
Winds: trade winds at 15mph.
Weather: cloudy, wet, sunny, rainbows.
Contest: i think 100% ON!
Plan: pack
Have a wonderful day!
Watch World Cup of Surfing LIVE:
http://www.aspworldtour.com/events/2014/mqs/728/vans-world-cup/live