good morning. 5:30 am on this windy thursday morning. kind of overcast right now. the buoy is still up so the waves are still big on the north shore. they are going to try to run round 1 of the volcom pipeline contest today. everybody’s still wondering why they didn’t run it the other good day??? anyway, it’s going to be another great day for surfing!! oh, town probably still has some waves too. bought a new toy yesterday and can’t wait to use it. have a nice day[:?????$B!x(B???:]

if you ever come to hawaii, the ilikai hotel is probably the best place to stay. why? because ala moana bowls is right at your doorstep…

your not allowed to bring meat, poultry, or vegetables to hawaii from japan. but seafood, bring it on!!! thank you kimura-san for the pupu’s that went down good with the beers….

i watched isaiah’s last heat. it was a 3 man heat with top 2 advancing. it was him, and 2 guys from USA. as soon as the other guys got their scores, they sat on both sides of isaiah and didn’t let him get a wave. ummm…. i understand it’s a contest and everything but i was kind of bummed. but that’s the part of contests that make competitors stronger and i hope isaiah comes back to hawaii proud to make it that far, and not pissed off at team USA. we’ll just have to wait and see…
do you remember when florida’s todd holland did the same thing to a brazilian surfer at a contest in brazil about 15 years ago? he did it in front of thousands of locals and after the heat, they threatened to kill him. he had to get escorted off the beach by security, he shaved off his beard and mustache, and got escorted to the airport by police. crazy yeah?

here is team hawaii. all great surfers!!! good job boys and girls…

here’s something japan has to be proud of. this kid hiroto arai made it to the finals and got 4th place. oh my gosh!! that’s got to be a first time for a japanese surfer. i’ve seen this kid surf before and he rips!!! congratulations hiroto!!!
**and last, want to thank everybody for the emails. been getting so many everyday and can’t keep up. keep them coming and i’ll get back to you as soon as i can. but just wanted to say thanks for the support!! GO-NAMINORI[:?????$B!x(B???:]

i was shooting lineup shots from the beach yesterday. then i see satoshi paddle for a wave so i started shooting it. then i see somebody paddling for the same wave and dropping in on satoshi. i looked good and it was ma-kun. haha… imagine bringing a kid from miyazaki to hawaii for the first time, drive him to the beach, show him the lineup, paddle out with him, and he drops in on you? haha… i was laughing. looking at this photo reminds me of my nephews dropping in on me. the funny thing is i bet satoshi will get even. it might not be soon, but it will happen. us older guys don’t forget… haha… and to ma-kun, good surfing yesterday at backdoor. keep on charging and you’ll be the next japanese backdoor grom….
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we were having a conversation about this cover shot last night at dinner. here is what i think.
history has been made. for every photographer in the world, it’s gotta be a dream to have your photo on the cover of SURFER magazine. kinsan’s been shooting for a long time and has over 100 cover shots in japan. but it’s not the same. SURFER is international and is like the bible of surfing. to have your photo published in there is an accomplishment, but to have your photo on the cover is unbelievable. and this is not an ordinary cover. this cover is of the eddie aikau winner greg long on his monster wave at waimea bay taken from the water. i was there that day and i swear there were over 1000 professional photographers from all over the world at waimea bay. so for surfer magazine to hand pick this photo from a japanese photographer is crazy. surfer magazine has the best staff photographers in the world so that says a lot. so first, i want to congratulate and thank surfer magazine on such a great choice for the cover. and i want to congratulate kinsan for his hard work for past 30 years. this is a classic example how hard work pays off. from now on, kinsan is known worldwide and now considered and international professional photographer. a piece of history for surfing in japan. all you people in japan should be proud. it’s called “paving the way”…. so here’s the question. “when is the party????”[:?????????:][:?????????:][:?????????:]

Ala Moana Bowls Going Off All DAY!!!
Hito tsukunai!!! Minna shiranai mitai!!!
3′ Perfect Off Shore Wind….
LUCKY!!!