Introducing the GoPro Hero 3. Wow! I want one! Thank you Maki-san for the info.
Good morning 6:20am.
North Shore: 2-3′ and GOOD! Super clean conditions at Rocky Point.
South Shore: Waist high at Ala Moana and chest high at Diamond Head. Clean!
No wind.
Sunny sky.
Perfect everywhere.
I’m surfing all day!
Have a wonderful day!

good morning. it’s that time of year for my north shore debut. yeah, every year for the past 25 years i’ve been taking the long drive, nervous, and anxious. 50 minutes driving in the dark watching the sunrise, watching the perfect waves, and walking on the cold sand down to the shoreline. i put on my leash, jump in, and i’m wide awake. the butterfly’s go away, i’m focused, and my north shore season has officially begun. am i excited? heck yeah! every year it’s the same thing but the excitement factor goes up and up. i’m almost pissing in my pants right now thinking about it.

the other day we did the tv shoot, i was tuning up my camera. yeah, as you know, i’ve been too busy to shoot photos recently. so dusting off my lenses, sealing my water housing, and charging my batteries is the first step. then before i start my shoot, i set my camera to manual, i look at the lighting that’s provided on that given day, set my aperture, set my shutter speed, set my iso, and take one test shot. alyssa just happened to be standing near me so i asked her to hang on to the pole. here is my first shot. what do you think? with the sun in the back, a normal camera would be totally backlit. i guess i didn’t totally forget how to shoot photos. and it helps to have a great model like alyssa as the subject. model, sun, camera equals a good photo. stoked!

yesterday evening i checked the waves, the forecast, the winds, the buoy, and everything that comes into play for a pipeline/backdoor day. before i slept, i already knew that today was going to be the day. i may be right, but i may be wrong. either way, i’m going!

this is backdoor. one of the most perfect and dangerous waves in the world. i’ve caught so many good waves out there but i just want more and more. i will never forget this day as i was out there waiting and waiting, then i seen the biggest double up wave coming in fast, i turn, paddle, take off, bottom turn, and couldn’t believe what i was going to pull in. this day was like paradise. and i’m hoping to get more of these perfect waves this season. i know i can’t go out there everyday like before so when i do get the chance, i’m going to be hungrier than ever. i better get going. have a wonderful day!

i met the coolest surfer today. Kanekuni-san is from osaka. he’s a good surfer, cool guy, and has inspiration to get better and better. i’m sure his level of surfing will improve rapidly as we trained all morning long. Go-Kanekuni-san!

yesterday was pretty fun. i was hot as heck being down at the beach from 8:30am to 3:30pm. i got to play around with my camera which i love doing. and if you know me, i always ask people to jump! it’s just a super cool and happy thing! you jump, i jump, we all jump! thanks to the tv crew yesterday for all the hard work in the hot sun! i can’t wait to see the program!

pho from BacNam. Oishi!!!!

when ever i travel, i see something pretty cool and interesting. on a trip to Nias, Indonesia, i seen this lovely couple walking to the ocean. girls who surf! haha.
anyway, another great day of waves and friends. super fun summer in hawaii continues!