i wake up early, head out to the ocean on Mayuki with Brent and Kekoa for a fast dive. as i pass bowls, it looked 2-3′, crowded, and inconsistent. we go dive, we come back 2 hours later and the waves started to pump! it looked like a different day! i drop off Brent and Kekoa at the harbor, ride Mayuki back out, throw the anchor, and surf some epic 4′ bowls!!! i even got a nice barrel on a left. felt so good! pull anchor, come back in by 10:30am and i felt totally satisfied for a full amazing day. after that, i just went shopping and relaxed.

then i see a school of Halalu or “baby aji” at the harbor. if this wasn’t a private club, there would be hundreds of hawaiian fishermen catching fish after fish. i was all alone sitting down enjoying nature. i had a glass of water, some popcorn, and watched big trevally’s attack the school of halalu. if the water wasn’t so dirty, i would have jumped in with my go pro and you would have seen some amazing action. i wanted to grab my fishing pole but decided not to interfere with nature. i just sat and enjoyed it.

so cool yeah!

thousands of fish swimming in a circle until the trevally comes up and eats a few.

wanted to thank Banba-san for the awesome japanese farmers gift. great with my rice, egg, and natto.

fins are everything. i’ve been surfing for over 30 years and tried every fin you can imagine. fins can make a board work, or make a board not work. i see all the time people using the wrong fins on their boards. i’ve even seen people sell their boards because they said it didn’t work. with the wrong fin setup, your board won’t work. it’s like putting cheap gas in your car. no matter how good your car is, it won’t run as good if you put good gas in. i use Scarfini HX1 fins on every single board i own. to me, they work the best. just enough stiffness, just enough flex, and just enough weight to make a normal board turn like magic. if you haven’t tried them before, i really feel sorry for you. and i’m not joking.

Perfect day for both!

yesterday was a very emotional day for me. Banba-san just got out of the taxi in waikiki straight off a flight from japan. he introduced himself and i was pleased to meet him. Banba-san is from Fukushima prefecture in Minami Soma. it was 3 years ago when our We Are One team first went to Minami Soma. there is a cool village fronting the surf spot called “Kita Izumi” that got completely wiped out from the tsunami. and to make things worst, it’s right in the circle of the radiation evacuation zone. only a few miles away from the fukushima power plant that leaked and is still leaking radiation into the air and water. when our team went there, Banba-san was looking for us. our paths didn’t cross then, but did now. when i met him today, he told me where he was from, what happened, and how thankful he was for our team.” we paused, i looked into his eyes and could see the emotions, we are both grown men but there is nothing wrong with crying. i’m not ashamed at all. back during out missions, it took a lot for me to hold in my tears, now, i can’t anymore. i don’t know if it’s my way of healing or not, but it feels good to connect with the very people we went to help. we hugged, and even though i could have stayed there all day talking story to Banba-san, i knew we had to jump into the ocean to surf. why? because we are surfers. we paddle out to perfect bowls, catch some super good waves, and even though i spent only 2 hours with him today, i felt the connection. i have 2 more days surfing with Banba-san and i’m looking forward to listening, talking, laughing, wave riding, and healing. as for me, it was very hard emotionally in the beginning but i knew there would be a rainbow in the end. it’s just starting now as i see the bright colors starting to glow. i am very happy and very proud of my team for all the effort and support for the people in tohoku. today was a great day for me. We Are One Forever!