i have to say the after traveling all these years, Delta Airlines has one of the best business class around.

the movie monitor pops right out in front of you and when you put on the noise reduction headphones, it feels like you’re in a movie theatre.

the seats go 180 degrees flat and i feel like i’m on a dream bed.

and the pillow and blanket is better then the ones i use back home in hawaii. i must have slept most of the way here to the philippines. watched 3 movies, drank a lot of fresh orange juice, and ate good japanese food. thank you Delta!

10 years ago was the first time i came to the philippines. at that time, cloud 9 was empty. maybe a couple of traveling surfers and a couple of local surfers. the lineups were empty. i remember paddling out on some big days with only a few guys around. the wave was heavy, huge, and super powerful. kind of like backdoor but breaking over a shallower reef. i remember one afternoon taking out my 6’4 on a solid 8-10′ day. you either take off or die. the typhoon was super big and sending the most powerful barrels to cloud 9 all week long. it was right before dark when i seen some 10′ sets starting to break on the outside. i sit in the take off zone and wait. the waves kept on building and i knew i was in the right spot. i see the most perfect wave starting to jack up over the reef. i turn around, paddle hard, take off, bottom turn, and get the hugest philippine barrel ever. photographer John Callahan was there to get this shot. a shot used in magazines around the world. and a shot that brings back the memories like it was yesterday.
the next typhoon is building. we are going shopping today to get food for the week. loading up the van, and heading off to search for the perfect wave. i’m so excited to be reliving the philippine dream!

the job i have is very fun. i meet the most interesting people everyday and i just love it. I’ve taken many newlyweds surfing on the day after their hawaiian wedding. i’ve taken newlyweds surfing during their honeymoon. and i always tell the husband, “hey, you are a lucky guy to have your wife let you surf at such an important time.” i think that is awesome and i think that if a wife supports their husbands surfing addiction, they will have a wonderful married life ahead.
today was a first time experience for me. Endo-san took my guide this morning and he had to be in at his wedding at 10am. yeah, we surfed dawn patrol, caught some great waves, and then i dropped him off straight to his wedding. i was actually nervous in the morning because if something happened for some reason, he would miss his own wedding? haha.

we paddled in, he took his pre-wedding shower at bowls, i took dropped him off, and i hope he had the best wedding in hawaii! i just hope he didn’t fall asleep. haha. Endo-san, thank you for surfing with me this morning on your special day. i was stoked to see you catch come good waves! enjoy your hawaii wedding, your honeymoon, and your lovely wife. congratulations!

summer officially finished a 3 days ago. since then, the weather turned crazy! we’ve been getting some heavy rain storms throughout the day. sometimes i can’t even see driving with my windshield wipers going full blast. even when i left today, it was storming so hard.

as soon as the doors in the airplane closes and i turn my phone off, i’m super relieved. no stress for the long flights to manila. i sit back, i drink my orange juice, i put on my headphones, and i watch movie after movie. it’s my time to relax and i just love being in my own world 10,000′ in the air. just landed at narita and getting ready to jump on another flight. i’m getting really excited because i’m going surfing soon!

my friend is going to pick me up at the airport. he just sent me the forecast for the upcoming week. in his email, he wrote “PI between two boobs Sunday.” haha! we have so many options as the east and west side is going to be pumping! can’t wait to sip on san miguls and pull into barrels. got my cameras, gopro, surfboards, and mask so stay tuned for photos!

check out the action yesterday morning. the girls requested a professional photo session taken by Daniel Pinho.

my goal as a surf instructor is to take everybody’s surfing to another level. you can call me strict, you can call me loud, or you can call me mean. but after you’re done surfing, i can guarantee you that your surfing will improve a level or two. nobody knows the feeling of catching good waves better than i do. so my goal is to get you into the best wave of the day, and for you to surf your dream! and also bring out that smile that’s within yourself! here is Risa-chan getting ready for a great surf session.

and safety is top priority. i’m always watching who i’m with, and always watching the whole ocean to prevent accidents.

it was Miko-san’s first time surfing so we took it slow. but once i seen her paddling out, i knew she was going to be good. yeah, you can tell just by the paddle because it shows the confidence level. and when you have confidence, you can do anything.

Risa-chan is always smiling! from the time i pick her up to the time i drop her off, she’s always smiling. what a great way to live your life.

i try to get behind the person on some waves to push their limits even more. if you got me behind you yelling what to do, you will do it. haha. i try not to do this too much because it’s just too much pressure on some people. i was telling Risa-chan to turn right more and more!

then the next wave, she did it by herself. i couldn’t believe how good she was surfing yesterday. 100x better than last year.

i always tell people to turn right, ride the wave until it almost ends, then to turn left and ride it all the way. this is the start of the perfect left turn. first look left, then turn your shoulders left, then your body and board will follow. this is absolutely perfect!

Miko-san was very nervous on the way to the beach. it was her first time surfing so she was totally new to the sport. after a few demonstrations on the beach, it was time to surf. she stood up on her first wave! that’s awesome for a first time surfer to stand up on their first wave. then we improved her form wave by wave. then after the 2nd wave she ever caught in her life, i told her “it’s time to go to the far outside and catch big waves!” we paddled out, and caught set after set. not too many people can jump up 3 levels in 3 waves but Miko-san did.

she was turning right like she’s been surfing for years. i’m pretty sure she’s hooked and will surf for sure when she gets back to japan.
good job girls! keep on surfing in japan and hope to see you next year!