Baby First Birthday

August 12, 2014

i had a great time surfing with the Urakami-san family yesterday! a great family from Okayama who loves hawaii just as much as i do. look at Masamune-kun standing next to me. i couldn’t believe how much he grew since last year. i’ve never seen a 13 year old japanese kid this big before. big boy, big smile!

then we went to eat an acai bowls at The Health Cove. the best acai on the island.

then we went to Waiola Shave Ice. the best shave ice on the island.

thank you to the Urakami-san for the treats! see you Masamune-kun next week for another great surfing session!

went to safeway and couldn’t believe the shelves were still empty! panic in hawaii last week so you still can’t find water here. crazy!

and couldn’t believe what a beautiful day it was today. perfect sunny sky with no clouds. and on top of that, the waves were perfect!!!

then went to my grand nephew’s 1st birthday party.

Mateus always looks at me like this. so cute.

BBQ hawaiian style.

and always good to see the family. Kelia and Isaiah just came back from separate mentawai boat trips. it was cool hearing all the stories and wait till you see the photos and video. it will blow your mind!!!

hawaiian kids are so cute! meet Maxxim and Baby Noah.

no baby party is complete without a jumper. i wish i could be a kid again and jump all day in there!

my 2 beautiful Nieces. Kelia Moniz and Temari Fukunaga. i’m so proud of these 2 girls! and so proud of Temari becoming a wonderful young mother.

can you believe you can put photos on cakes now days? and you can eat it too. crazy!

then i went surfing with Team Ina at a secret spot. new experience, good rides, good video, good dinner, and good sunset. you couldn’t end a day any better than this.

Bali Boy: Dream Come True

August 12, 2014

remember this kid i put on my blog over and over? well, i met Garut Widiarta back in 1994 when he was only 6 years old. even before he started surfing, i already knew he was going to be a champion. a relative to bali surf boys Ganti and Bol, we use to play around in the shorebreak at kuta reef and i knew he was going to follow in his cousins footsteps to become a great surfer. when he turned 10 years old, i got him sponsored by TSSC and Dove Wetsuits. i took him his first new board and rash guard and that was the beginning. i watched this kid grow and grow throughout the years. he stayed at my house in hawaii, i took care of him in hawaii, he took care of me in bali. it’s been a pleasure watching Garut go to the top of the top in indonesia.

now Garut is know worldwide. very respected, and very explosive surfing.

yesterday, Garut won the prestigious championship at Padang Padang in perfect waves. he beat some of the worlds best and is the 2014 champion! i’m so stoked and so proud of this kid! i know this was one of his biggest dreams. Go-Garut!
Results:
1st Place: Garut Widiarta
2nd Place: Raditya Rondi
Equal 3rd: Lee Wilson
Equal 3rd: Mustofa Jeksen

back to hawaii, gosh, the waves have been so good. good winds, good weather, and good vibe. i’ve been surfing every single day and i will never ever get bored. so stoked to surf all day everyday!

been having a great time surfing with Team Ina. watching Inaida-san get better and better day by day. so stoked!

and Yuki-san always getting the longest lefts of the day.
i’m not sure how much more darker i can get, but i’m almost as dark as chocolate. going to surf everyday till i leave for my next typhoon trip to japan later this month. also wanted to let you guys know that i’m going on a trip very far away from september 19th to october 5th. sorry i can’t stay here to surf with you but i’ll be back even happier than ever! surf your dream!!!