what an awesome day! got up early, surfed a secret spot in town all myself again. paddled out to perfect waves with nobody around. got some perfect glassy waves. then dropped off a friend at the airport, then went to the north shore. surfed haleiwa for a quick session, went to a meeting, had lunch, picked up 2 of my new boards, got stuck in traffic, came back to town for a photo shoot, and had the most amazing japanese sushi dinner. a completely awesome day!

oh, this was my lunch in wahiawa. meat jun. so good!

then came back to waikiki, the sun came out for an hour, perfect timing for us to get the photos.

this is 10x japanese bodyboard champion Aoi Koike. took some awesome photos of her. and wanted to congratulate her for getting 3rd place in the Pipeline contest yesterday.
same thing today, wake up early and surf, shop, think, eat, and yoga. yeah, i need the yoga to relax my busy mind.

Balance is everything!
Good morning 6:10am.
North shore down from yesterday. 1-3′ and ugly North winds conditions.
South shore waist high and a little bigger at Diamond Head.
Winds are light from the North at 5mph. Becoming variable later.
Conditions are perfect everywhere in the morning. Onshore winds later.
Weather is cloudy/rainy/sunny.
Plan is surf secret spot!
Have a wonderful day!

when i was in high school, a bunch of my surfer classmates use to speed down the hill on our bicycles or skateboards after school finishes. it was a mad race to get into the water and catch the first wave. and we’d surf till dark. then we would go back home so excited for the next day so we could do the same thing. so yesterday morning, i revisited one of the secret surf spots from my childhood days. the wind was calm, the sun was shining, and the ocean couldn’t have been any better. i paddle out, nobody is around for miles and miles. i catch some perfect waves and felt like i was a kid again. complete silence. then i see a guy paddling out from far away. he’s coming to my spot? then as he gets closer, he smiles, i smile, and there he was, my childhood surfer friend. we go back 30 years, he went his way, i went my way. now we meet again in the same exact surf spot we use to surf together. we laugh, we talk about the good old days, we exchange waves, and as i paddled in, i felt like a kid again. it’s days like yesterday that made me realize how surfing is so important to me. and also made me realize how going back to my roots calms my mind, body, and soul.
then i surf ala moana bowls in the afternoon. no parking, so many people, beginners, tourists, police, homeless, and angry locals. welcome back to the fast life of surfing! haha. i love it! and knowing that my secret peaceful surf spot is only 20 minutes away makes me happy. i’ll be going back there a lot more.
surf your dream!