Photos: ASP/Cestari, Kirstin

gosh, the summer weather continues! cool trade winds back with super warm temperatures. surfing without a wetsuit and feeling so good. no need blanket at night, and tshirt, shorts, and slippers all day. it’s december and i’m wondering when the cold north winds are coming? anyway, going to enjoy it while i can.
been meeting the coolest people everyday. some for the first time, and some for years. all people from all different walks of life, all people with different lifestyle, and all people with different surfing experiences. my job is to combine everybody’s lifestyle with the ocean. everything in life is a wave. you ride the good ones, and get off the junk ones. you fall, you get up and ride again. that’s pretty much how my life has been since i started surfing. just enjoying each and every ride till the end!

yesterday’s sunset session was amazing! want to thank Yumi-san for taking this photo of me enjoying my favorite time of day. see you tomorrow!

Kiyotou-san is from Kochi and he came here for the past 2 years to run the marathon. 2 days ago he ran over 40 KM and today he surfed 2 KM total riding time. a super nice guy with great surfing skills. we actually lucked out as the south/west swell was solid head high and perfect! see you again next year!

and last, meet the new Miracle Man! Inaida-san just came out of surgery 4 days ago in japan. the doctors sent him home 2 days ago. last night, he jumped on a plane and landed in hawaii. we surfed today and he caught some perfect waves! some people take it easy for a month or so after a surgery. but Inaida-san is strong and surfing is his medicine. good body, good soul! see you tonight!

this past thanksgiving, i dusted off my camera and took photos of friends. i was sitting in the bushes on a private secret beach when i seen a longtime friend walk by. Keoni Watson is a hardcore waterman. super cool guy who everybody in hawaii respects. i remember surfing amateur contests with Keoni back in the late 1980’s. it’s always good to see him but this time, he didn’t see me because i wanted to shoot the real Keoni Watson.

he was with a couple kids and i’m guessing one or both of them are his. the next generation waterboys!

Keoni always giving a helping hand. hey Keoni, it was nice to see you spending some family time on thanksgiving day. i’m eyeing out molokai and will give you a call for tips before i decide to do it.

and is this your kid? gosh, this little grom was ripping! good to see you passing on your knowledge to the next generation. see you in the ocean.