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.