we arrived on the west coast of the philippines in the late afternoon, jumped on Scott’s boston whaler and went out looking for spots. after spending 16 hours in the airplane, 2 days in manila, 3 hours in the car, it felt so good to jump into the water for an evening surf session. clean water and golden sunset time. cleanse the mind, body, and soul!

the location of this left point wave was just amazing! felt like we were in a movie setting. it was so surreal that it seemed fake.

then the next morning we get up before sunrise, jump on the boat again, and look for new spots. Captain Scott and my brother searching for the perfect wave.

the things you see in these remote areas is the kind of things you see on the discovery channel. the real thing.

little bays, big bays, outer reefs, and just so many places attracting swell. and absolutely no surfers around. millions of waves going unridden each year in the philippines.

the backdrops were so freaking amazing too. just breathless! i had a thought of how it would be to live right there. probably a good place for me to retire.

so we find a new spot looking super good. i jump off the boat, paddle to the lineup, and swing into the first wave ever ridden at this point. so fresh that there is no name, we didn’t name it, and there will probably never be one. but who cares. all we wanted to do was surf the unknown! we surfed the unknown and left it unknown. cool!

then my brother sits on the boat anchored in the channel and picked up my camera. he uses it for the first time and OMG, he misses my turn!!!! this would have been a great photo if he aimed a little more to the left. well, a lot more.
i’m still buzzing about the last trip and was super stoked to surf 5 spots in the philippines. there are hundreds more yet to be discovered and i’m with the right people on the right path. can’t wait to go back again. mabuhai!

Opps!
Good morning 6am.
Small waves today!
North shore knee high.
South shore waist high.
Trade winds at 15-20mph.
Sunny sky.
Surfing all day!
See you in the water.

what another great day of surfing! Kosuke-san and Atsusa-san tried to surf before but couldn’t stand up. so i guess you couldn’t call that surfing. so today was revenge! they both stood up, rode long waves, and had a great time. i was so happy to be part of their first real surfing experience. shaka!

super stoked to see Hikaru-san traveling and enjoying her life. she just came back from Bali and was hanging out with my longtime friend, Koming. cool world!

people ask me why i travel. i travel because i want to experience different cultures and learn different techniques. and after absorbing all the experiences, i take a little of every culture and implement it into my life. i guess that’s why i’m living such a simple life because everything in third world countries are just plain simple. all i need is my surfboard and boat, then everything will be ok.

this is indonesia style construction on a remote island in timor. everything made by hand. hard working and no complaining. after seeing people work so hard for so little money, i never complain about my job and i give it my 100% all the time.

omg, check out my birthday present from Inaida-san and Yuki-san! i love it!!!! a traditional japanese rice keeper that will keep my rice fresh. super stoked!