i got up early this morning, checked the surf, and was wondering where to surf. north shore closing out, maybe the east side? west side? town? then i get a call from Kelia “hey unko, we are all going to surf at waikiki now.” i load up my camera and head down to waikiki. there was no way in the world i would have missed this special surf session with my family. these kids grew up in waikiki. this is their roots. and since they are all grown up, or growing up, an opportunity like this is pretty rare.

there is so much love in this family. kelia moved to california and only came back for a few days. she leaves tomorrow so her brothers wanted some quality time in the water. all these kids started longboarding before shortboarding so it was cool to see them back where they started.

the paddle out as i’m right behind trying to get the fog off the lens of my video camera. it was so hot early this morning!

luckily my lens clears and i get some fun surfing video. for 25 years of my life, i would only focus on the best wave on the island and go there no matter what. back then, i would have never showed up for an occasion like this. waikiki when north shore is huge? no way! but now, my priority has changed. it’s days like this that make surfing so special. the north shore will always be there but a day like today won’t. my nephews and niece are all grown up and i watched each and every one of them from diapers to surf trunks and bikinis. the memories will live on forever!

the moniz family in hawaii is a household name. where ever they go in the world, they are respected. and the cool thing about it is they are all so humble. that’s what makes me love them even more!

hey kelia, have a safe flight back to california. i’m glad you’re living a great life and i’m sure you know that hawaii will always be here for you. take care and we all love you!
i put together a video but am still waiting on some music. should be up on GO-NAMINORI.COM sometime tomorrow. check back!