Toto, I Have a Feeling We're Not in Hawaii Anymore

I caught my first surf sesh since I hit up the west side of Oahu a couple of weeks ago (last week Saturday's blog entry was just a photo sesh). If I had somehow forgotten, the cold Socal waters reminded me that I was no longer in Hawaii. Despite the cold water, though, it felt good to be back in the water.

It's a beautiful morning




Nick showing us the results of some shorepound


Right before I took this picture, Mark jokingly said "I'm going to snake him". It's always fun to clown around out in the line-up

California Love

After getting some H20 love from Hawaii all last week, California decided to respond with a little H20 love of its own. I was more than happy to receive it.





Creed making me think I'm still in Hawaii






A couple of MB regulars hook up at a different locale



Sal charging


UFC 112: Spongers Wreaking Havoc

A Short Clip of Pipe

Since I did the tourist thing today, I didn't catch a sesh or take pictures of waves. I did pass by Pipe and record a little (tourist style), though. No one was out, so I just recorded the waves. Here's a snippet of what I recorded:

Torn

I was torn between taking pictures and catching a sesh this morning. I ultimately decided to take pictures instead. I went to Pipe again. It was smaller than yesterday, but even when it's small[er] Pipe is still pretty darn epic. A swell is expected to hit the NS tomorrow. It's supposed to be 12 feet (Hawaiian)!

Shout out to JY: After my photo sesh, I ran over to one of JY's favorite spots to eat, Ted's Bakery, and ordered the Portuguese sausage, eggs and rice plate (with shoyu on the rice, of course). It was ono!

Of course, the good thing about being on vacation is even if I decide to take pictures in the morning, I can still catch a sesh in the afternoon (or even mid-day for that matter). So without further ado, I have a sesh to catch ;)

West Siiiiide!

I decided to catch a sesh on the west side of island this afternoon. The spot I went to reminded me of my home break when I used to live in Hawaii. It wasn't big (about two feet Hawaiian), but it was fun. I still can't get over how good the Hawaiian water feels.
My new board: Nomad (same manufacturer of VS boards), 42", PP core, double rails, channels. Not bad for $85. By the way, it's not so much what you see in this picture that makes this a picture worth posting, but what you don't see - parking meters. I've yet to encounter a parking meter at a Hawaiian beach, and I've been to a lot of Hawaiian beaches. You gotta love those free sessions!


To ensure that your sessions aren't anti-climatic, Hawaiian beaches have the best showers* (*Not the actual reason why Hawaiian beaches have the best showers). None of that push-a-button-only-to-get-a-two-second-spurt-of-water-that-barely-rinses-a-strand-of-hair-on-your-head stuff, but rather turn-on-the-faucet-and-enjoy-a-hearty-stream-of-water-to-your-heart's-content.

Banzai!

With the waves being smaller and cleaner than yesterday, I had a hunch that Pipeline would be sick. My hunch proved correct and my retinas were rewarded with quintessential Banzai Pipeline action!

Early Morning Dash

I ran up to the North Shore this morning and witnessed the grandeur of Waimea Bay first hand. It was quite the experience! It was big! I couldn't really tell you how big it was in feet, but when it gets as big as it was this morning, trying to measure waves in mere increments of 12 inches really is like splitting hairs.

After being awed by Waimea Bay, I ran over to Sandy's where the surf was a lot less... umm... life-threatening. I caught a quick sesh there (and I do mean quick - I caught just one wave and took just one picture), before I had to bounce. Being in the Hawaiian H20 felt so good!



Many a photog was seduced by Waimea's beauty and power this morning.

Cruising

My cousin Garet and I took a little cruise to the North Shore. The waves were relatively small and blown-out, and it was raining pretty good. Yet, despite the sub-par conditions (especially for North Shore standards), I was still stoked to cruise the Seven Mile Miracle.


Photo: Garet

Back to my Old Ways

When I initially thought about vlogging during my trip to Hawaii, I thought it would be fast and simple. While vlogging isn't rocket science, I realized just how time-consuming it can be - especially for a vlog rookie like me - as I worked on just my second vlog episode yesterday. Between the planning, recording, re-recording, editing, uploading and posting (while all the while trying to actually enjoy my vacation with my family), I stayed up until 2 AM last night trying to finish what would have been only a short vlog episode. As the clock struck two last night, I thought to myself: "This is no way to spend a vacation".

To make a long story short: I'm back to just blogging for now, and I'll save the vlogging for another time.

Vlog Episode 1: Trying Something New

Bran with the Cam Part II

Bran decided to stay dry today, and man the cam instead. All pics for this blog entry were taken by him. Mahalo, brah.

It was pretty much the same today as it was yesterday. If anything, the waves were slightly bigger and a little more walled.

All of the holiday grinds have not been kind to me. I felt so out of shape this morning that it's not even funny.