Tonights dinner: Taiwan Night Market!
Good morning 6am.
Small waves again!
South swell coming this week.
Bowls knee high and weak.
Diamond Head a little bigger but windy.
Trade winds at 15mph.
Super sunny day.
Surf/pack/Harley/airport/Japan Transit/Taiwan Night market. Busy! Have a wonderful day!

i had an amazing day with the Matsuda-san family. i’ve been taking them surfing for the past 3 years and they are all getting better! the waves were perfect for us. long rides and big smiles! then hawaiian style lunch, then some shave ice. this is such a cool family! great day everybody! please enjoy the rest of your trip in hawaii.

a few days ago, this is what the charts looked like. i was hoping that low pressure would go toward japan but it turned away. that means no waves for japan. i was bummed because that’s where i wanted to go.

then this afternoon, i see this. a 50% chance of a new typhoon that’s aiming for taiwan. so taiwan it is! just booked my flight, going to pack my backpack, and head to taiwan! eat some good food, meet some new people, and experience new things. it’s been 16 years since i backpacked taiwan and i’m sure things are going to be a lot different.

i got up early this morning, watched the finals of the jr. pro. my 2 nephews dominating in virginia? OMG! that wave is terrible and i wasn’t expecting them to be in the final, and never in my wildest dreams expected them to get 1st and 2nd. it was Joshua’s day again as he got the win. Seth got second! super stoked for the boys!

then i was stoked to see father Tony Moniz and older brother Isaiah Moniz cheering them on. the Moniz family is making their mark on surfing history.

$4,000 to Josh! 16 years old and makes more money than me? that kid deserves it!

for the past 2 years, i would take Kaito-kun on the front of my board when we surfed. he was 8 at the time and now that he turned 10 years old, i told him, you’re going to surf by yourself today. he said ok, he paddled out, he stood up on his first wave, and he had the happiest face! such a cute kid!

then yesterday i took Gen-kun surfing. 11 years old and first timer. another great 2 days, and another great 2 smiles. as these kids are getting better in surfing, i feel like i’m getting better as a surf teacher as these kids are teaching me a lot. just go with the flow and everything will be alright!

better start packing. Taiwan will be the first part of my trip and i have no idea where the rest of my trip will be. the only thing that will decide that is Mr. Typhoon! Surf Your Dream!

another action packed day yesterday. went surfing with Takabayashi-san and his son Gen-kun. it was Gen-kun’s first time surfing and he was very nervous when i picked him up. i could tell because he didn’t even look at me, and hardly talked to me. i taught him slowly on land how to stand up, we paddled out, he caught his first wave, and then the hugest smile came out! the kid stood up perfectly on his first wave and every wave after that. i had him on a 11’0 and after an hour, i let him try a 9’0 and he surfed it perfectly. the 3 of us had such a great time for 3 solid hours of surfing wave after wave. then i ask Gen-kun what is his dream. he told me he had no dream until now. but after surfing so well, he told me his dream is to become a professional surfer. that’s awesome! at 11 years old and a father that surfs good, he has a good shot at his dream!

i finished work at 6:30pm, then drove like a maniac back home to drop off the boards, then even more crazy down to kapolei on west side for some more racing. there is a raceway park down there and it was my first time so i was excited like a little kid.

it was Maki-san’s birthday party that i wouldn’t miss for anything. an awesome surfer, an awesome person, and an awesome friend. Happy Birthday Maki-san!

this group of japanese girls stole the show last night. they were so competitive and hard core. they all wanted to win and did everything to do it. us guys were watching them race laughing so hard. i took some video that will make you laugh too.

birthdays are important even as we get older. and so are our friends. surfers forever!

ok, i leave tomorrow. where? i still don’t know. i don’t have a ticket, i didn’t pack, and i don’t see any big waves in sight. anybody know where i can go catch a big barrel at? i don’t even have time to check the forecast. i’ve been keeping in touch with friends in the japan, the philippines, and taiwan. none looking promising for good surf. so for now, i’m leaving monday morning for ????. your guess is as good as mine but all i know is that i’m boarding an airplane out of hawaii no matter what. my backpacking life continues….