KKs Vacay - Haleiwa and Sandy's 120613

Surf Report: 3-5 feet on the face Head High + on sets
Winds: off shore
Atmosphere: Sunny
Water: Warm - Duh, it's Hawaii

The three muskateers: Fransauce, Alex, and myself. 

I get up early, from my slumber on B-sauce's living room floor.  I start my yoga and theraband exercises slowly, and then make my way to Bogarts.  I ask Fransauce if he wanted a bagel sandwich, but he wanted an omelette with breakfast potatoes instead.  I get Alex a bagel sammich too, since his phone number changed to an 808 area code. 

We all eat our breakfast, pile our stuff into Francis's car, and hit the road to the West Side of Oahu.  I play some tunes from the back as we head to the West side, hoping the swell has filled in.  Francis points out a road with a center divider. 

"We got a 9-1-1 call when I was at this gas station further up, and I headed the wrong way.  The guy had cardiac arrest, and we couldn't U-turn forever.  I felt so bad." 

We start checking spots on the West Side.

"This place right here, it's usually a good indicator if there are waves on the West Side."

It was flat.

We drive further and further, but there were no waves.  The swell wasn't hitting here yet...

"Should we go to the North Shore?" Francis asked.

"Yea, let's go there.  I haven't been back since 2008 to surf North Shore."

"Where should we go? Puena Point?" Alex asked.

"How about Haleiwa?" Francis said.

"I wanna try Haleiwa.  I've never surfed it.  I've watched all the competitions though, so I wanna see it."

"You think Klaude will be ok there?" Alex asked Francis

"Yea, he'll be fine.  Just watch out for the toilet bowl section cuz it's shallow."

So, off to Haleiwa we went.

The familiar roads leading to the North Shore hit a soft spot for me.  I really love the North Shore, or the Country as Hawaiians call it.  There really isn't anything around here, besides local communities, world class surf spots, and Foodland.  Haleiwa town is a small, quaint town with surf shops, places to eat, and small clothing stores dotting the area.  We drove to a huge parking lot marked Ali'i Beach Park.  The famed Ali'i Beach Park that I always heard about on the webcast... and now I'm here.  I walk to take a look at the break, and it's just like how we see it on the webcast.  There were maybe ten heads out, and the five foot faces rolled in periodically.  There were kids playing in the shore break where the channel started.  It was a world class surf spot, but indeed a beach PARK, with benches and picnics being set up with people laying out on the sand. 

Alex and I wear jackets to protect our skin, while Francis lets his sexy brown skin bronze even more.  We grab our boards, and head down to the beach.  I stretch, and Francis points out the channel and where the toilet bowl section is. 

"Try to go around that section, and then just paddle straight out," he says.

So, here I am, back on the North Shore... paddling into some medium/small surf.  I can see the reef in the toilet bowl section, and paddle around it.  The toilet bowl section is super shallow, like the webcasters always say it is.  I see small groups of people sitting on the peak, and some scattered wide of the peak.  I sit wide of the peak first. 

I see Alex catch a set wave on his foamie.  I inch closer to where he took off.  I see Francis take off on a wave.  I inch closer to the pack. 

I take off on my first wave, and it's so easy.  It's such a perfect wave, I bottom turn, carve off the top, then pump down the line and carve off the top on the toilet bowl section.  It's so shallow I can stand here.  I paddle around it with a smile on my face. 

Francis took one left that he pumped down the line, and unleashed buckets of spray on.  He lost control of his board because he pushed so hard off the tail.


Alex was killing it this day, taking a lot of waves.  He is really good on a longboard, and it doesn't matter that it's a soft top - he was just killing it.  He is goofy, so he took off backside on a right.  It was steep so he grabbed rail on the take off to help angle the board.  I duck dived right near him on the head high wave.  He makes a huge backhand turn on the foamie and comes back stoked.

"Nice wave Alexxxxxx!" I say.

"Thanks Kimo!" he says.

"You know what the best part of that wave was?" I ask.

"What's that?"

"That I saw it!"  We laugh.

Indeed, the best waves we ride are the ones our friends see us on, since we share the experience of riding waves from two different perspectives: one as the rider, and one as the observer, hooting them as they drive down the line.

I catch a left where the take off was super smooth, and bottom turn.  I wait an extra second to make my turn, and feel my toes dig in to the tail pad.  It was a one shot wave, but I was happy to get that turn. 

"Yo! That was a sick turn! Shredddddding it Kimo," Alex says.  "You know what the best part of that wave was?"

Driving to the North Shore, you see pineapple fields forever

"No, what?"

"That I saw it!" 

There were maybe ten people in the line up the whole time.  I'm not sure how long we surfed for, but it was fun.  We all catch our last waves in and shower off. 

We decide to eat at Wailua Bakery in Haleiwa.  Immediately, we see Cheyne Magnusson and Matt Wilkinson eating inside.  I was star struck, but kept it cool.  We order our food, and proceed to sit outside.  As we walk out, Taj fucking Burrow walks in. 

"Oh my god!! it's TB!!! Guys, I have to get a photo with him," I say. 

He was with a girl and talking with Wilko, and so I waited for him to stop talking with Wilko to ask.

"Hey Taj!"

"Hey, how are you?"

"I'm good, thanks.  Look, I'm a big fan of yours, is it ok if we took a photo together?"

"Yea, right mate!  No problem!" He was genuinely stoked to take a photo with me.

"Should I take it for you?" the girl asked.

"Naw, we'll selfie it, we've done this many times," Taj said, as he smiled. 

Snap snap.

Taj Fucking Burrow

"Thanks man!  Good luck at Pipe this weekend!"

"Thanks mate!!"

Wow, he is payed millions of dollars to surf, and he was totally cool with some surf geek coming up to him and taking a photo with said surf geek.  How.  FUCKING. Cool.

We eat our delicious post surf meal and Alex has some jail bait call out to him.  She works at the Outrigger Canoe Club too.  She was with a bunch of other girls, and they had just shopped at San Lorenzo bikini shop.  They had a 50% off sale, which explain the throngs of girls going in and out of this parking lot with bags full of bikinis. 

The sign at the register of Wailua Bakery in Haleiwa

Definitely a must if you're on the North Shore

Alex has to get to work, so we head out of the Country.  We hit horrendous traffic, and so Alex takes a nap in the back.  Francis and I drive back on the H2 and H1 and get back to Town and wake up Alex.  Alex calls in saying he will be late for work.  I guess it's ok to be a little late for work in Hawaii... haha.

When we get back to the Dojo, we start playing some ping pong with B-sauce and Taiki.  After a few rounds of ping pong, we decide on going to Sandy's again. 



We body surf while B-sauce and Francis go shell diving.  It starts to rain a little bit as we get home, and we start deciding where we need to eat.  Taiki had dinner plans already so he wouldn't join us this night for dinner.

It's in the water

B-sauce wanted to take me to a noodle spot called YOTTEKO-YA.  This charming place is a gem!!  It was the best broth this side of Japan.  It blew all the ramen places I ate at in Los Angeles that I touted as the best ramen outside of Japan.  They use half chicken, half pork broth to come up with an elaborate tasting broth that is silky smooth.  I later asked the owner what was their secret, to which she replied, "It's the water.  Mainland water is not like Japan or Hawaii's water... so you have to use different techniques or gimmicks to get the flavor out, but in Japan, or Hawaii, it's the same water, so it's easy to get the flavor out."  Nuff said.

Afterwards, we go to Bubbies to get some mochi ice cream.  We each get four flavors... yum!  And holy shit was the cashier girl cute!!! I lost myself and found myself mouth agape and stuttering.  B-sauce clowned me on that. 

Alex came home with Cass that night, and Cassandra and I played ukulele together. 

B-sauce, with Fransauce in the background

"Where you wanna go tomorrow?" Alex asked.  "Cass wants to surf too."

"Let's go back to check the West side," I said. 

"Ok, let's do that then." 

The bounty of the day's hunt

My bounty of beauty for the day

Bubbies!!!

KKs Vacay - Canoe Surfing and Sandy's 120513

Surf Report: 2-3 feet
Water: Warm
Atmosphere: Sunny
Winds: light

Bogarts Acai Bowl

and Bagel Sammich

I get up in the morning and get to my warm ups, which now include yoga, foam rolling, and theraband exercises.  Then, I go to Bogarts for breakfast.  I order an Acai bowl and a bagel sandwich, which is loaded with sprouts, Macademia nut spread, tomatoes, and capers.  They also had a dark chocolate truffle coffee that I had to order.  So delicious!! 

Diamondhead Reef

After I eat that, I return back to the Dojo as everyone else is getting up.  Alex looks at my board and fixes the ding quickly.  He drives Kev and I to his work, the Outrigger Canoe Club.  Alex fills us in on how we should coordinate paddling.  We swim to the canoe, and get in.  I sit in the front, Kev in the middle, and Alex is the anchor.  He unties the canoe, and we start paddling out to sea.  We get to a spot where there are small waves breaking, with a SUP taking some small waves for long rides. 

Alex starts to tell us how we should start on one side, then switch after ten or so strokes when he or I make the call.  "OK!! START PADDLING!!"

We paddle furiously.  There is water spraying off the bottom of the canoe.  I am nearly blinded as I continuously paddle.  I feel the boat start to pick up speed, and we stop paddling.  "Ok, LEAN TO THE LEFT!!"

Our boat takes off on a beautiful wave.  It felt like a bobsled or roller coaster ride.  The wave kept breaking and we just watched our canoe glide along...

"Ok, paddle again!!"  The wave starts to reform, and we paddle.  The boat picks up speed again, and we're in the glide of the wave.

The boat turns out of the wave, and we start paddling back to the point. 

"Wow, that was one of the coolest feelings ever!" I yell to the boys. 

As we wait, we talk about what to do if there is a wipe out. 

"Abandon ship when I say so!" Alex says. 

Kev playfully splashes water on us as we wait for the next set.

"Ok, PADDLE!!"

We paddle hard.  I see the nose lift up... Shit! Here we goooooooo!!

I put up my hands like I was on the log ride at Disneyland.  The nose dives in, and sprays buckets of water into our canoe.  I lean all the way back in my seat to compensate for the nose dive.  So much water is moving, I don't know what is going on.  Abandon ship?  No one's yelled it... Just hold on!!

Then the boat miraculously holds on in the wave.  We're gliding down the face fast.  The water we took on has to be shoveled out, so Kev, being the middle guy, takes a jug of water with the bottom cut out and a cap on it to scoop it all out while we ride.  The wave takes us for a looooong ride and we finally get out on the channel.

"Damn Klaude, you were about to abandon ship!! I saw you with your hands up like 'Ahhhh!'" Kev laughs.

Alex and I laugh at this as he scoops out more water from the canoe.

"Let's go for one more," Alex says.

We paddle out to the spot again, and we wait for a wave.

"Hey, where ya'll wanna go eat after this?" I ask.

"Wherever you wanna go, Klaude," Alex said.

"How about Ono's for some poke? I'm dying for some poke."

"Sounds good, I haven't been there in a minute," Kev says.

"OK, start paddling!" Alex says.

We paddle for a set wave, and the drop isn't as critical as last time, but it's still a long ride.  We enjoy the glide as I see the corals under us shoot by like darts.  We all lean to the left as Alex anchors his paddle into the wave to guide the canoe.

"Keep paddling!" Alex says as the wave reforms on the inside.  We paddle a few more strokes to keep up with the wave and get in to the channel.

"Man, that was one of the funnest things ever!" I yell.

"Man, you were about to abandon ship on that big one though!" Alex laughs.

We paddle from the channel back to the boat docking station.  As we paddled across the Outrigger Canoe Club, the people in the restaurant overlooking the ocean  start cheering us.  They must have been watching us catch those waves.  They're all waving, whistling, and applauding us as we paddle in. 

We dock the boat and swim back to the beach.  We rinse off at the shower, and head back to the Dojo. 

B-Sauce is up now, so we get a few ping pong games in.  Alex finishes the ding repair, and we decide it's time to eat.  Alex, Kev, Shizzles, B-sauce and I climb into Kev's car and head to Ono's Hawaiian Seafood for poke.  This place used to only have three types of poke, but now they have about twelve.  Their prices haven't gotten too steep. 

Ono's Hawaiian Seafood - a MUST!!

After we eat, we head to Sandy's beach to body surf.  Body surfing is another art form the Hawaiians perfected.  It's so scary dropping in on an inch of water as a wave pummels you from behind.  I am apprehensive at making the drop since my shoulders are so sensitive.  I don't want to injure myself, so I don't push myself over the ledge.  But, the waves were really playful and fun this day, and I got a lot or practice in.  B-sauce, Alex, and Kev are all really great body surfers.  They're able to make the drop and get barreled constantly. 

On our way to Sandy's...

We head back to the Dojo after an hour or two of body surfing. 

It just so happens that the Honolulu marathon is happening while I am staying in Hawaii.  And, it just so happens that one of my child hood friends, Taiki, is running the Honolulu marathon.  We meet up for some dinner, where we eat at Izakaya Naru.  This place is one of my favorite places to eat when staying in Hawaii.  Every menu item is original and unique, and the specials change daily.  So, if you miss out on the cold noodles with yuzu or braised pork, you won't have a chance to have it the next day.  Taiki, B-sauce, Taiki's friend Ericka (?), Shizzles, and I gorge ourselves on deep fried pork spare ribs, taco rice, and golden slow cooked pork.  Taiki couldn't drink because he's been restricting himself for the marathon.  He has been training since August, and hasn't drank alcohol since Halloween. 

Slow cooked pork

"Taco" Rice - Spicy and Crispy!

Deeeeep fried pork spare ribs

"I can't wait to drink when this is over!" he says.

We eat tons of food and call it a night.

Alex was back home with his girlfriend, Cassandra, and he asks where I wanted to surf tomorrow. 

and the obligatory sunset view from the Dojo

"North shore is 3-5 feet tomorrow, right?"  I ask.

"Yea, but maybe West side will be less crowded?"

"Ok, let's go West side," I say.  

KK's Vacay: Landing in HNL and Arriving at the Dojo

Surf Report: 2 foot Diamondhead
Water: Warm
Atmosphere: Sunset over the hills
Winds: Calm

I landed in Honolulu, smiling from ear to ear.  I could smell the sweet scent of plumeria's carried by the warm ocean breeze.  The sound of buzzing planes and airport announcements muffled my air pressure popped ears, and I could feel the humidity on my skin perspiring into small packets of sweat.  I hunched over to grab my bag and swung it over my shoulder.  I brought the boys of the Dojo some cronuts as a gift from LA.

Earlier this morning, I had woken up at 530 in the morning to start my yoga routine.  I heated up hot water, sipped on it as I stretched my neck, shoulders, core, hips, legs, and ankles.  Pat was awake already since he had to go work early.  Mel was up and gave me a biiiig hug as we said our "See you rater" to each other.  Pat had convinced me last night to bring my boards to Hawaii.

"You sure you're not taking your boards to Hawaii?" he asked.

"Yea, I'll just buy one there, and sell it back," I said.  It was already 9:00 PM and I wanted to relax.  All my stuff was packed and ready to go.  I plopped down on my chair and opened Surfer Magazine.  The first article was the Editor's Note, which detailed the Editor's trip of a life time that he was supposed to take with GoPro CEO on the CEO's private jet.  Every thing was set, packed, and ready to go... and then his wife went into labor.  His first born son was born the night he was supposed to go to Indonesia with GoPro's CEO, so he had to stay behind, his quiver left in the back of the room gathering dust.  Instead of a 20 hour red-eye on a private jet, he had a two and a half month red eye that included burping, pooping, changing diapers, feeding, and cleaning.

The focus of the article came onto his quiver, where he said that he had been all over the world with his boards, and that these boards were still with him even when his son was born.

So this hit me hard.  I need to take my quiver.  It's MY QUIVER.  They are my boards.  So what if they're not made for Hawaiian waves?  They're YOURS.  Your babies.  They've gone up and down the coast of California.  Some have gone to Hawaii.  And you're going to not just Hawaii, but the NORTH SHORE.  The surf Mecca!  The proving grounds of all things surf related.  You have to take your boards.

"Hey, can I borrow your board bag, Patdeezy?" I asked.

"Yea, you can even take one of my boards if you want," he replied, with a relieved smile.

So, I packed my Neck Beard, my Channel Islands "Aloha" board, and one of Pat's Nezzy surfboards that he takes on his surf trips.  Last minute packing is not my thing, but this was necessary.  I had to take my boards!

United Airlines charged me $100 for the whole board bag.  No questions about how much did it weigh, or how many boards were in there.  The only question was, "Cash or credit?"

I did not have my celebratory beer at LAX though.  I just went to the gate and waited for my flight, listening to my music on my phone.

So, I land at HNL, and go to baggage claim.  I have to go to odd-sized baggage claim and while I was waiting, two surf pro looking guys come with their backpacks and guitar.  The shutters of the odd-sized baggage claim open, and two guys start lugging out surfboard bags full of expensive, valuable surfboards.  The two pro looking guys get their bags, and so does another guy waiting next to me.  Where was my bag?  I check the last bag... and it was this bag.  I forgot - this isn't YOUR surfboard bag... it's Patdeezy's.

I go to the rental car spot, and this Auntie helps me out.  She said, "Ok, so you have an economy size car, yea?  Are those your boards?  How many did you bring?"

"Three."

"Those won't fit.  Upgrade for an extra $10 a day to a mid-sized SUV.  You can have a Jeep!"

"Fiiiiine.  You sell icicles to Eskimos don't you?" I laugh with her.

We start joking back and forth and she says, "Oh my, I'm not supposed to be laughing like this!  I'm not even close to being done with work yet."

"What time you pau hana?" I asked.

"Ohhhh about five."

"Well, if you're laughing like this during the day, it can't be so bad until you're done right?  Unless you want to take work seriously like those guys."

"Oh them? Yea they are toooooo serious!" she said, gleaming towards her co-workers.  Her co-workers smile and wink.  "Ok, so go outside, and choose your car.  Have a nice day!"

I go outside with the sun blazing on me.  I really need some water, but I need to choose which car I want to rent.  There are mid-sized Jeeps, a Nissan, and then a SUBARU!  I immediately open the Subaru, check the seats, check the A/C, and was sold.  I bring the car around, pack my boards, ukulele, backpack, and bag.  I call Justin, aka B-Sauce, and let him know I'm on the way to the Dojo.

The Dojo.  B-Sauce, Shizzles, Alex, and Kev live there.  It's where I've stayed last trip.  It's where I met Fransauce years ago.  It's where it feels like home. There are Japanese style shouji windows, and a sliding door that resembles a traditional Japanese house.  I call B-Sauce, and he tells me he's biking running errands, and he will meet me at the Dojo in a few minutes.  "Aloha welcome back!" he adds.

Arriving at the Dojo, I schlep my luggage to the house.  I leave my board bag on the side of the garage area, and proceed upstairs.  I get a cold glass of water, and chug it down.  There's a new sofa in the living room, which will double as my bed for the next four days. 

I roll out on my foam roller and close my eyes... Wow, am I really in Hawaii in December?  It seems unreal... I breathe slowly, rolling out the kinks in my back and shoulders... Hawaii... in December...

"Oh SHIT! Klaude??"

I open my eyes, and it's Shizzles. 

"What's uuuuuup!! We were wondering when you were arriving!!" He gives me a big welcome back hug. 

"Yoooooo! Yea I just got in.  I love my new bed!" I tell him.

"Oh yea man.  I just got up from a nap."

"Oh nice... Hey have you ever had a Cronut?"

"What's a Cronut?"

Well, my friend, here you go!

Cronuts from DK's Donuts in Santa Monica

B-Sauce gets home, and we exchange our big manly hugs.  He gets down with the Cronuts too.  We then take a trip to the Kahala Mall and get some sushi at Kuru Kuru Sushi, a kaiten sushi place.  It's good, but the cash register girl was kinda rude... she just talks shit, trying to get attention or a reaction from the customers.  Not something you want to do to get repeat customers, for sure.

Kuru Kuru Sushi

We then bust out the ping pong table, and play for a few games. 

Ping Pong Tournament

Fransauce got off work around 4:30PM, so he stopped by in his work clothes.  We hang out, and he asks, "Do you wanna surf?"

"Yea! Let's get wet."

So, we head to Diamondhead as the sun was setting. 

It was a shitty day, maybe two feet and mushy at Diamondhead.  We made the trek down the donkey path... the donkey path that I missed so much... We paddle out as small waves roll in, and I paddle.  My shoulders aren't in Hawaii shape.  I can barely keep up with Francis.  My shoulders are burning already, and we're not even half way to the line up. 

Francis, changing with no towel <3

I duck dive.  THUNK.  Crap, did I just hit my board on the reef?  Is it too shallow right here? 

I check my nose of the board, it's fine.  Fins are fine too. 

I catch maybe two waves on my shortboard, and we head back in as it was getting dark.  As we get changed, I notice a gash on the bottom of my board.  FUCK!!

We get back to the Dojo and Alex comes home.  We didn't get to see each other last time I was here since he was training for the Coast Guard, but now he's returned, so we give each other big hugs.  I show him my board and he said he'll fix it tomorrow and it will be done by the end of tomorrow.

"Do you wanna go canoe surfing tomorrow?" Alex asks.

"Hell yea, I always wanted to!"

"Ok, we'll go tomorrow then." 

26th Street Before I Leave for HI 120113

Surf report: mushy 1-3 feet
Winds: light off shore
Water: cool
Atmosphere: sunny

Joyce joins me for a local surf session today. We show up late today because I was up late last night, hosting a few of my boys that I used to coach. One of said boys left his car lights on and so his battery went dead. We had a mission to find jumper cables and finally got a pair, only to find out my car was too advanced for jumper cables. We tried my roommates car and hers was too advanced too. So we had to call another friend to bring his car to jump start his car. Finally we got the car running at 1:30 in the morning.

Surf this day was really mushy and weak. Joyce was apprehensive at first but once she got out she realized the waves were super mushy and forgiving. "Klaude this is the first time I'm surfing in December when it's this cold!" she said.

I don't remember too many significant rides this day... Like I said it was gutless surf. Joyce had fun though, and so sometimes that's all that matters - when your friends have fun, you have fun.

We depart the ocean by 10:30 and get our respective days started. I had to clean the house since I am leaving for Hawaii on Wednesday. In fact I am typing this on my iPhone on the plane since I don't feel like reading my books right now.

This is my first vacation since June of 2012. This is also my first time returning to the North Shore since October of 2008 when I got my ass kicked by the true power of waves. It was also the time I caught the biggest wave of my life thus far - a solid ten footer on the face going left at Pidley's right by Chuns reef.

I hope to catch some waves this winter, and watch the Pipeline Masters live from the beach!!

Wish me luck. And hope that I don't do anything stupid. Hahahaha

I plan to jump out of an airplane this trip so we will see how that goes.

Mahalos Mother Ocean!!!!

Journey to C-Street with CC 113013

Surf report: 1-3 feet
Winds: off shore then to on shore
Water: cold
Atmosphere sunny

CC joined me on the journey up north this day. I was trying to surf on the day after thanksgiving but the waves were too big and closing out. There was absolutely no shape and therefore no reward for the risk. I watched the surf for twenty minutes and opted not to surf since the waves just weren't holding shape. Instead I went to physical therapy and strengthened my shoulder and then went to work.

So I was itching to get out to surf on Saturday. I had to surf since I missed out on the boys surfing together on thanksgiving day and since I didn't surf Friday either. I had to get out of LA in order to get some sort of rippable wave at a pointbreak.

The drive north was pretty easy. CC and I caught up in life, love, and our kids that we teach. We had our heart to heart that was way past due. We talk the whole way, with a small detour to a gas station so she could poop. She said she doesn't poop in the morning and so that was her first poop. I am proud to say that she beat me on speed of pooping. I heard her flushing as I was still wiping my butt. We both dropped off the kids in the swimming pool and continued our journey to California Street.

When we arrived, there was no free parking. In fact the tide was so high that the free parking area had no waves breaking. Some of the waves were breaking on the shore. There were only long boarders out. Bummer.

We drove further up to first point and saw that there were more waves and more people here. But hey there were waves! Gotta paddle out here then.

I put on my new booties I got from quiksilver. They have a little wiggle room but fit my foot perfectly. CC did not bring her booties.

We walk down and start stretching on the sand. Older surfers walk by smiling at CC and her curvaceous body, bending every which way and not.

We both paddle out and sit outside the peak. We keep seeing rides from the peak and inch our way closer.

I catch a warm up wave close out. I had no where to go but straight.

CC is managing her own area, so I continue to inch my way closer to the peak. Of course it's more packed over on the peak, but this is the take off zone. I have to pit myself against the other dogs in order to catch a wave at a pointbreak.

My first wave is a right and I got to pump down the line. It ran ahead of me and so I wasn't too overjoyed about the wave, but I got a few good pumps in.

I started to get more aggressively friendly towards the others. I hoot them in to waves, smile when we make eye contact, and compliment them on their rides. I like to do this because surfing at most spots seem to be taken too seriously and people are afraid of smiling. So, why not be the change you want to see in the world? I want to see more people hooting each other into waves, I want to hear more compliments being given to each fellow surfer, and I definitely want to see more smiles in the line up!!

I take off on some waves where people are in my way but I know I can make it around them. I take off on an angle and pump immediately down the face. The guys on the inside are wide eyed, deer-in-the-headlights shocked but are relieved once they see me pump away from them.

There were a lot of groms out today with their dad's pushing them into waves. Of course I hooted these kids! They need to know that surfing is a unifying activity. Not a sport that takes and takes and never gives anything back.

CC's wave:

I caught one of the first waves of the set and was paddling back out when I see a person with a blue board paddling against another surfer. The surfer on the blue board gets in, and immediately takes the high line in a sweeping pump up the face. Then she goes down on the face and straightens out. CC! She had an amazing first pump that made the other surfer back out of the wave.

I complimented her on the wave but I didn't have to - she was ECSTATIC. She couldn't stop smiling and her twinkle in her eye was out shining the sun! The best part of the wave? That I saw it. There is no other joy than sharing the experience with someone besides yourself.

Dais and I had a conversation before on how joy is something that should be shared with someone. If you got to surf perfect waves all by yourself, would you truly be happy? Or will you start to wish someone was around to share this? If a surfer catches the longest barrel of their life but no one is there to see it, was the wave really ridden at all?

Therefore, sharing that experience of a wave ride is the best feeling ever.

My ride of the day came from a small right. I was able to pump down the line and reach the open face. I carved a cut back and stayed on top of my board. The wave flattened out so I couldn't continue riding it but I was stoked. The best part? CC saw it too.

Dais made his way towards us! We said our hello's and he kept paddling until a wave just popped up and he took off. He made another surfer back out on the wave as he made his way down the line until the wave closed out. We hooted him for his ride.

Khang didn't join us until later. He waited out the back for the sets. By this time the water was starting to get choppy from the winds and CC and I were getting hungry. We took our last waves in and waves bye to dais and khang.

We both high fived each other when we got out.

We went to breakfast paradise afterwards and recounted our waves today.

I've noticed that my pop ups going left are weak and slow. No doubt because my left arm is still weak. I have to work on it more.

Mahalos Mother Ocean!!!  And mahalos for CC on coming out!!

Getting back into shape 112413

I don't quite remember too much about this day, except that it was small, gutless, and cold.  I paddled out with Joyce, and she is a gnarly snowboarder turned surfer, and she hates the "big" stuff.  "Big" stuff meaning anything above 2 feet. 

So, it was so small today that I paddled from my Mons Pubis spot to the lifeguard tower, twice.  Joyce's friend Helen came out too, and they both caught some nice waves. 

I still found myself unable to muscle my way into waves like i used to.  So, I must keep on truckin along.

Mahalos Mother Ocean!!

Don't Trust Surf Reports 112013

Surf Report: 1-3 feet
Winds: Offshore
Water: Cool
Atmosphere: Calm before the "storm" cloudy skies

I wanted to ease my way into my shortboard, but today felt like a good day to be on my fish.  My fish.. the good ol' red I call MJ for Mary Jane.  Mary Jane, Spiderman's girlfriend, has firey red hair, so it felt right to name her that.

I was supposed to meet Joyce this morning, but she gave me the run around of "The surf report says very poor.  I've never seen it VERY POOR." and "I don't want to be [shark] food, I saw it on TV last night."

I texted her back, "Zombies were on TV too." 

I have tried not to push people to surf as much.  I know people have different definitions of "love," meaning that there are different levels of commitment to certain activities such as surfing.  But, she did commit to going last night, and all I was reading was surf report this, surf report that, cold weather, tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.  I don't like to rely on surf reports too much.  I check three surf reports: Wetsand, Magic Seaweed, and CDIP buoys.  I also watch the weather and tide.  And, if it looks as if there is at least something rideable, I'll go. 

So I pull up to an empty parking lot, and see a few black dots in the line up.  It seems Ross is in the line up since his car is in the lot.  Where are the groms? None of the cars were here.

I paddle out with my red fish.  The water seems cold, but I got used to it after my first duck dive.  The water was crystal clear this day... and the sun was fighting to crack through the grey clouds.  The light offshore winds feathered the peaks as they rolled in. 

I had no discomfort in my shoulder as I paddled out... a good sign.  No discomfort as I duck dived the on coming white wash... another good sign.  I flipped around for a right, and popped up.  No discomfort here either.  Two groms backed out as I pumped down the line.  I do a check turn and bounce off the white wash.  I tried to pump down the line again, but the wave died down. 

I see Ross take a left from the tower.  he pumps down the line, does a check turn, then pumps further down and busts a carving 360 on the close out section. 

He comes by to say hi to me, seeing that I caught a right.  He loves rights more than lefts, even though he is goofy footed.  However, the rights don't roll through as consistently as the left where he was, and soon he paddles back to the left.

A surfer by the name of Jack starts to talk to me.  It was so spread out that he had no one to converse to, he said. 

"You know, this is a lot better than yesterday," he said.

"It's supposed to be worse today than it was yesterday right?"

"Yea! Isn't that crazy? Surf reports... can't trust 'em."

Indeed, can't trust the reports at all. 

I hoot him into a nice right and he takes it all the way to shore.  He is stoked.  And therefore, I am stoked. 

I paddle in late into a left.  The wave crashes on me as I am popping up.  No discomfort there, either.  I do a small turn and come back in the white water, and pump a little bit more down the line. 

Speaking of pop ups, I have had to change my paddle and pop up again.  I'm keeping my shoulders lower and away from my ears every time I paddle and pop up.  It seems I've been muscling my way through the water up till now.  So, it feels like my paddle is smoother, and my pop ups are more stylish.  I hope this translates to better style. 

I surfed for about an hour, and get changed to go to work.  My morning feels... complete.  I've missed these sessions. 

Mahalos Mother Ocean!!!
 

Be Quick, But Don't Rush 111713

Waves: 2-3 feet
Winds: Offshore
Water: 3/2 still, but getting colder
Atmosphere: Sunny with patchy clouds

I injured my shoulder on October 5th, 2013.  I was going for a right, popped up, tried to do a top turn, failed, and as I was falling, my left arm was behind me.  The wave was sucking up still, since I was high on the wave, and the wave took my left arm and wrenched it behind me, popping it out of the socket. 

I was devastated. 

In hindsight, I was pushing the limits of my body.  I was surfing almost everyday, going to work for 10-11 hours, six times a week, and not getting enough rest.  Surfing was my "out" to deal with work related stress, and so in my mind, I had to surf. But in the end, I forced my body to run on fumes, and did a half ass turn, and injured myself, incapacitating and hampering my own body for a few months.

I have been going to rehab three times a week, and each session is three hours long.  Not to stop there, I continuously work on my shoulders and legs when I am at work and home.  I went to acupuncture, and realized all of my old injuries to my ankles, knees, and shoulder are resurfacing on my body with compensation injuries to my legs, hips, lower back, upper back, and neck.  I had to revamp my whole routine. 

So I have been trying to ease my way into surfing.  I swam in the pool twice prior to this day, paddled around without popping up a week earlier, and have been doing push ups on my indo board, exercise ball, and on the floor.  I felt ready to get back out in the water.

Luckily, this day was small, and high tide was mushing all the waves.  I got up late to go surf, so the dawn patrol was just leaving the lot. 

"Are you paddling out Klaude??" Eric asked. 

"Today would be a really good day for you to get back in," added Kim.

So, I got Kim's parking spot under the tree, and headed out. I grabbed Mel's board without her permission from the garage since the foamie was not there. 

I knew Bri would be out, so I paddled out to my usual spot in front of the Mons Pubis.  I can see Roy on his red fish tearing it up, and Bruce was out on his foamie.  I catch sight of Bri from behind (unmistakeably her backside) and sneak up on her.  We give each other a big hug, and chit chat. 

I was apprehensive at first paddling for the high tide mush.  I doubted myself and the condition of my shoulders.  But I told myself, "Look, you've done all the right things, you're gonna be fine.  You're ready.  JUST GO FOR IT!"

And so I caught my first left.  It was a small, down the line left, but man oh man!!! did i miss this feeling!!!!! 

I paddled back out with a smile to my face.

Bri was killing it once again.  As I paddled back out, she caught a nice right.  She took this right all the way to shore. 

She paddled back out and caught another clean right all the way to shore.  She took a long time to get back to the line up since she took it so far.  I am really impressed with her progress as a surfer, and Matt aka Donny Duckbutter, should be proud. 

I caught one right and tried to pump down the line.  The board was too big so I couldn't pump too well.  I also tried to bottom turn and the board just slooooooowly went up the face and so I couldn't really set myself up to do a turn or a floater.  But, I was still stoked. 

There was one wave where I paddled and fell.  I thought I had the wave, and popped up, but fell as I got to my feet.  The guy next to me laughed, saying, "Wow, that was some wicked backwash.  It just threw you off your board!"  I was glad it was the wave and not my body that forced me to fall. 

Bruce was killing it on his foamie this day.  He would take off behind the other locals and play catch up with them.

Roy was killing it on his red fish too.  He was getting rides from the tower all the way to the Mons. 

It was crowded as hell, but I had a great time.  I can't wait to get back on my shortboard, but I'm taking it step by step.  Be quick, but don't rush, as John Wooden said to his injured players.

So, I'm off to Hawaii on December 4th.  It is my first vacation since June of 2012, when I went with Fransauce to Oahu.  I hope to be able to surf some waves then and watch the Pipemasters live.  But, I am ok with not being able to surf the gnarly waves of the North Shore if I am not ready for them.  It's ok, I have my long term goal of surfing all winter this season, so I don't want to lose sight of that goal.

Anyways, happy surfing to all!!

Mahalos Mother Ocean!!!!

Intuition Tuesday 090313

Surf: Small and forgetful
Atmosphere: Sunny and warm
Water: Cool
Winds: Null

I didn't surf Monday, for I was a bit hung over and tired from Sunday.  We had numerous guests come through during the day and night, and I coached a championship game for my kids.  We lost by 8 points, but considering that we lost to the same team months ago by more than 30, I'd say it's an improvement!!  I am very proud of these boys.  I had to resist my urge to tell them, "Second place is only the first loser, so don't be so happy."  Most of them were upset by the result of 2nd place, and I told them, "Good, be upset.  But let it go.  Let go of that feeling of being upset, since we have another game coming up next week." 

I took out my CI Neck Beard since Khang came over last night an said that I should take out the Neck Beard is small, lackluster surf.  "It's designed for those kinds of waves!!"

Well, my intuition said, BRING THE FISH.

Shoulda listened to intuition. 

This day was gutless and small, and I had a hard time catching waves. 

The whole time, I was thinking MAN I WISH I HAD MY FISH.  There were still waves, but it was really hard to catch on my Neck Beard. 

Oh well. 

Listen to your intuition next time, KK.  Not Khang. 

Mahalos Mother Ocean!!

Mushy September 090113

Surf: 1-2 feet
Water: Cool
Atmosphere: Sunny / Kloudy
Winds: Null

Matt and Bri came out today!!  My partner in crime, Mel, and I drove up to the parking lot and scored a spot next to Ross, the goofy footer ripper. 

It was another day for a fish... I had a few good rides early in the morning.

Still looking for Matt. 

He was south of the towers, where the SUP crew paddle around a lot.  I know that place gets good, but it's so crowded, I stay away. 

I'm getting better with the fish, but I feel like I'm developing bad habits of being heavy on my front foot to garner speed instead of surfing off my back foot. 

Mel again was on fire today!  She is catching a lot of waves on her 6'6". 

I heard her scream, "ahhhh!!" and SPLASH!!

Orlando, aka Rastamon, yells, "I'm sorry Mel!! I was just trying to share a wave with you!!"

apparently, Mel snaked Orlando from far away, but Orlando caught up to her on the wave, and scared the shit out of her.  Mel fell, and Orlando was laughing. 

Bri and Matt paddle up to our area, and we embrace.  Bri fucking GOING FOR IT!!  She is improving every time I see her out in the water.  We cheer her on and look on with envy as she gets some mushy waves. 

Matt looked like he was struggling all morning on his magic carpet.  It was just too mushy and high tide.  He wanted to get some turns, but there was really no way to turn today, unless of course you are Ross. 

Ross can turn on a dime on the mushiest of waves, and make any wave look surfable.  He had to leave early because he had family stuff to do. 

We all get out together and congregate at the parking lot. 

The surf was pretty shitty, but it's all about the people you surf with!!!

Mahalos Mother Ocean.

Waiting for Matt 083113

Surf: 1-3 feet
Winds: Null
Water:Cool
 Atmosphere: Sunny and hot

I had to dawn patrol this day since I had to be in Pasadena to coach a basketball game by 930AM.

Mellie Mel and I depart the house by 600 AM and get to the parking lot by 630.

I took out my fish while she took out Pat's 6'6" fun board.

I remember catching a lot of great rides this day on my fish.

Mel also caught a lot of great waves too.  Her pop up is improving every time we go out.  This is our 3rd day straight of surfing.  Natural progression.

The whole time, I was looking for Matt.  Waiting for Godot.  I mean, waiting for Matt.

Mel gets a left from the peak.  She grabs her rail to direct her board at an angle, and slides across the surface.  Every one in the line up is watching her as the wave picks up more and more and she slides and glides.

She ends up on shore and we collectively give a loud hoot.

I paddle for a left and see Mel back out on the shoulder.  I start pumping on my heels and then cut back to the white foam.  The wave rebuilds on the inside and I start pumping more until I see the sand on the wave.  I hop off my board and look back - the take off point was a good twenty feet away.  SO STOKED.

Mahalos Mother Ocean!!!

School's Back in Session 083013

Surf Report: 2-3 feet
Water: Cold
Atmosphere: Sunny
Winds: Null

School's back in session!  How can I tell?  Well, the line up was full with high school groms.  "How was your summer?"  "What did you do?" were the questions that were being tossed around the line up.  Lots of kids were dropping in on each other. 

The line up cleared up around 745, and the locals finally had a time to ourselves. 

Mel had to poop so she came to the line up right on time. 

She got some nice rights after I gave her the advice of crouching whenever she feels like she's gonna fall.  Our natural "instinct" is to extend when we are about to fall, but if we can fight that and crouch, we'll make the wave.

I caught a lot of rides on my 5'6" Zippy fish.  it was getting so easy to catch waves that i started practicing more on my turns than just pumping down the line.  I tried to do three lay backs.  One i gouged but fell on my back.  I then tried to put less oomph on the lay back and made the turn, but it was less gougey.  The third I gouged again and fell.  Practice practice practice!!

The waves stayed consistent and we kept sharing more and more waves amongst the crowd. However, I had to go to work, so I cut out early. 

Mahalos Mother Ocean!!! 

Fuck you tax season. 

Wetsuits to Dress suits 08292013

Surf Report: 1-2 feet
Water: Cold/cool (spring suit will suffice)
Atmosphere: Sunny!
Winds: None

surfed before work today with da roomie, Mellie Mel!  We had to come in separate cars cuz I had to go to work, but we paddled out together out front of 26th Street.

The locals were out, including Mr. Mike, Ross, Mitch, and Don Kadowaki.  I took out my fish, while Mel took out Pat's 2+1 egg shape fun board. 

LOTS OF FUN WAVES!!! I couldn't believe there were some fun ones.  the fish worked great.  i have to keep this blog entry short since i'm at work, and it's tax season.

however, i wanted to share a little quote i heard on NPR news a few weeks back.

IF YOU DON'T WRITE, YOU'LL DIE. 

perhaps this means if one doesn't put their thoughts on paper, a form of self-expression, then they will die.  or that writing is a creative outlet for people, and as we all know, creativity breathes life into our rather dismal hustle and bustle life style.  in any event, keep writing!!

Mahalos Mother Ocean!

FLAT Ocean and Moving Out

It's been flat for days.  I've gone to the beach, gotten skunked, and headed back home twice already this week... hopefully the weekend would be rideable?

Finned on one of the "small" days - Lucky I wore a spring suit

On a personal note, I just moved to a new spot out of my parents place.  The place is located in Venice, and I moved in with two girls, Melissa and Annie Rose (we call her AR.) 

When I visited my cousin in NYC over Memorial Day Weekend, we went shoe shopping.  After I bought my pair of shoes, she looks at me and said, "You need to move the fuck out of your place." 

At first I thought to myself, "What the fuck?"

But then I listened to her.

"You've been helping them out financially long enough, and you've lived in that small room for your whole life.  It's time for you to move out and grow on your own."

She was absolutely right.  So, I went house hunting, thinking maybe I could buy a house. 

Soon, though, I realized that my debt to income ratio was too high, and no one will give me a loan.  Stupid financial institutions... they created this god damn mess, and now young people have to pay for it? 

Enter Mellie Mel.  She's made an appearance on my blog a few times... she's an overall good person, good energy, and a teacher.  We attended UCLA together at some point, but we never met at school.  Rather, in typical KK fashion, we started talking at a Surf/Skate shop called 9 Star, and have remained friends since.  It seems like we both make friends wherever we go. 

Wolfy the house cat

Living Room

My bedroom! yay for a queen sized bed

We always talked and discussed our teaching woes and life events going on, and so when I mentioned to her that I couldn't find a place to buy, she offered to let me rent at her house located in Venice.  I've been to her house numerous times to cook and hang out, so this was a golden opportunity for me. 

Her and her boyfriend, Pat, are amazing people, and I'm glad to be part of this loving home.  And AR is one hilarious girl. 

Our garage - bunch of surf bums we are!!

So, I am still looking to buy a place, but for now, I'm settled into my new (old) community of Venice.  Since I am a graduate of Venice High, a lot of things are familiar, but then again, a lot of things are different. 

Cheers to change!!

Mr. Pragmatic 070713 - 26th Street

Surf Report: 2-4 feet

Water: Warm

Atmosphere: Sunny!

Winds: None

I forgot to mention, one of the errands I had to do yesterday was to buy Khang’s Neck Beard.  It’s a custom shape for him, but he was looking to sell it.  He willingly let it go for me at a steep discount, no doubt he wants a brow-job from me later ;-)

I wanted to go to a point break to test it out, and was gun-ho about going to Zero’s.  However, I couldn’t recruit anyone to go with me, so I stayed local instead… which turned out to be a great call.

Mellie Mel texted me at night, saying that “it was time” for her to return to the salty bastion we call home.  She said she only had about an hour of surf time but she will try to paddle out.

Matt said he had to stay local too, since he was tired from yesterday, which included a BBQ at his sister’s place in the Valley.

Khang was surfed out, and was not paddling out before work. 

I get to the beach, and see a girl with a longboard on the sand.  I see an outline of a figure approach her, and try to convince her to come out.  From the way the figure walked and carried himself, I knew it was Shan.  Shan and I used to be best mates, but I say used to for a reason.  We had a falling out years back, and we talked it out right then and there.  I told him that if I ever see him in the line-up, he needs to paddle away from me.  Yes, it was that bad.  I think it all went to shit when our company hired him to fix our computer.  My computer had been infected by a virus, and so we hired him to reformat and retrieve the uncorrupted data.  Unfortunately, he didn’t make a legit back up of our files, since he assumed that the files were backed up already.  He reformatted the computer… and all our data was lost.  Years and years of work, all gone in a matter of seconds.  My boss was pissed.  I was pissed.  I had to tell him off.  But, at the end of it, I told him, “If our friendship suffers from just a few thousand dollars, then I guess our friendship wasn’t really worth it, but I don’t want anything between us to change.”  I sincerely meant that, but I guess he didn’t hear it. 

Things between us changed from that point.  He seemed to have this lingering chip on his shoulder.  He and I used to hang out – hell he’s even slept over my house a few times.  But all of that changed, and he stopped calling me or picking up my phone calls.  In the end, our relationship deteriorated, but he still kept in touch with others in the DRC.  Fast forward a few years, and I see Shan in the parking lot of 26^th Street.  My dad had shot some photos of us and was present.  Shan just quietly gets changed, doesn’t even mutter a hello or anything, pulls out and stares at us, and drives away.  My dad said, “What the heck was that? He couldn’t even say bye to me?”

I explain to my dad how Shan doesn’t like me, but that doesn’t excuse Shan for the disrespect towards my father.  So, I talked to him that day over the phone on why he was acting that way.  Long story short, he was still holding on to this monster between us, saying that I singled him out, and that I would drop racist jokes on him and would chastise him all the time.  “I’m the victim here” is all I heard from him.  I questioned him on how he was the victim, saying he dropped racist jokes all the time, and he would call me “asshole” and “jerk” but I never let that bother me. All he kept saying that he was in no way wrong in the way he disrespected my father that day.  I gave him my two cents, and we parted ways by me telling him not to be in the line-up when I am surfing. 

Now, my boss, I like to call Mr. Pragmatic.  He has handled million dollar business deals all his life, and at one point, he had his best friend and his other best friend’s (who passed away in his arms) widow bickering over who gets what.  Those two, we shall call A and B, do not see eye to eye, even till this day.  However, my boss was able to keep them both happy and structured a business deal so that the widow got what she deserved from her late husband’s work, and the surviving partner got his share of the action too.  And, they are both still our clients.  Again, millions of dollars at stake (and millions of dollars offered as a bribe, no doubt), and my boss was able to do all of this.  Hence, Mr. Pragmatic. 

I want to be greater than this man.  In order to achieve this, I have to emulate what he does, and do it a hundred times better.  It ain’t easy though… but I figure, I have to start somewhere. 

Enter Shan.  I see him paddle out, but I don’t give him a hard time about paddling out where I paddle out.  In fact, I cheer him on to a wave.  I mean, the waves this day were pretty darn fun.  However, I do not go out of my way to talk to him.  Perhaps it’s because I cherish my inner circle of friends, and I do not want to have him in my inner circle of friends. 

First wave, I catch one right in front of Shan.  It was a nice take off, and the board worked great. 

Tom was out and he was catching a lot of waves.  On a right, he threw the board out so hard that he came unstuck.  There was a lot of spray that came out, and his tail was even showing out the back.  Man, this guy can really surf. 

I see Matt and we have our broment.  He and I split peaks.  We are all having a ball. 

Mellie Mel comes out!! She says that she was planting in her garden in the morning, and saw my text and headed out to the beach.  So glad she made it – it’s been over a year since she surfed with us.  She is one of my cherished inner circle friends.  Her sea arms are way out of shape, and she gets her ass handed to her a few times by Mother Ocean.  She does manage to catch a wave, though, and I cheer her for it. 

I see Shan paddle for a left… Matt pulls out for him, and Shan… well he hasn’t progressed at all.  I think that’s something that I would never understand.  His surfing is the same as it has been for the last five or six years.  He stays crouched down on his surfboard, letting out a loud “Woooooo~” as he makes the drop, and that’s it.  Nothing has changed.  No pumping, no carving, hell, not even a few steps forward on the longboard. 

I think that’s another reason why our personalities clashed.  I’m always about refining and improving any skill – whether at work or at play.  I think progression and the sense of achievement is a great joy and rewards oneself intangibly. 

I laugh out loud at this.  Here I am, doing what I despised about Shan – holding on to some monster between us.  Holding on to this “thing” that doesn’t exist and that has deteriorated a relationship between two humans.  There’s no reason why two people can’t co-exist in the same environment.  So, if he wants to surf 26^th Street, fine, he’ll surf 26^th Street.  But I’ll tell you one thing – the 26^th Street Ohana does not stand for the way he surfs.  Just because you can catch every wave, doesn’t mean you should.  

This Neck Beard.. it feels like it was made for me.  I love the dimensions, and how easy it is to get from point A to point B.  I would drop in to the wave, and then eye the section I want to be at.  One quick pump, and I'm at the section I just eyed.  The board felt so great under my feet, I couldn't help but feel good all morning.  So, thank you Khang for hooking it up!!! 

Matt takes off to get his morning started. 

Mellie Mel and I stay out until 930.  We make plans to have dinner together that night at her house.  Her roommate, Cara, is about to leave for Denver, so we cook up a feast of Quinoa salad and Branzino for the three of us. 

Mahalos Mother Ocean!! 

Goldenwest with Da Boys 070613

Surf Report: 1-3 feet

Water: Warm

Atmosphere: Gloomy

Winds: Meh

Matt wanted to do a trip to HB.  I was itching to get out of LA.  I wanted to go to Zero’s, but I always love a trip to the HB area.  HB has a special place for me since Nicky and I first camped out in our car there to surf all day.  It was a broment that I cherish till this day.  Too bad that ninja has disappeared from the surf scene – he has social obligations that are paramount to him at this moment of his life. 

Khang was to join us on this trip, and I called Hideki to let him know we were going to Brookhurst.  He said he and Chris would be out there. 

The plan was to get on the road by 530.  I had gotten a massage from Dais Friday night, and so I couldn’t sleep until late.  I was worried that I may not wake up in time for this trip… and that kept me up even more. 

Surprisingly, I woke up before my alarm sounded.  It was 417 AM.  Holy shit.  I took my time getting ready.  Man, I used to stay out past this time, and now I’m waking up to this time.  My my how times change….

I pull up to Matt’s well before the 530 mark, and he is quietly getting his stuff ready.  The man’s studio apartment in El Segundo simmers in the morning cold, and I could smell his manly stench coming from inside… definitely a duckbutter depletion night, I thought.  I load my stuff into his car, and we go down to the garage to get his gear.  As we pull out, we see Khang pull up in the van.  We all hit the road a little past 530.

The trip down is smooth, and we make it to Brookhurst by 615 AM.  We check the surf… and it’s dismal.  The wind is already blowing sideways there, and there aren’t so many people in the water.  We know it – we got skunked.  I call Hideki to see where he is, but no answer.  “Probably didn’t wake up,” I tell Da Boys. 

Matt emphasizes that he wants our input in where to paddle out.  He once took me to a spot towards Oxnard, where we got skunked, and so we stayed out at Ventura County Line that day, albeit my plea for us to return to 26^th Street.  Turns out that day, 26^th Street was firing, and I gave him a hard time about not getting my two cents in when we make a surf trip together.  Since then, he has taken Da Boys opinions to heart.  We say let’s check out other spots, and we can decide then.  It’s not like it’s going to be any better elsewhere, anyways.

We drive past the pier, and we can see the contest scaffolding being built.  We see Goldenwest, and it looks do-able.  We drive up to Bolsa, and it looks like shit.  Back to Goldenwest it is.  I text Hideki that we are going to Goldenwest.  It is close to 700 AM already by this point.

I had to poop badly this morning.  Khang and Matt go ahead to the lifeguard tower and let me poop at the stall.  My poops have been smooth but lacked fiber from this day.  I do a quick one-two wipe and I’m back at the beach, Da Boys waiting for me to return. 

This day was an okay day for surf.  Matt and I caught a back-to-back wave, both going left, but I think that was the highlight of the day.  Khang sat outside as he always does, and waited patiently for the bombs.  Unfortunately, that bomb set didn’t come to him until an hour in to the session.  We finally saw him catch that bomb set, and we let out a sigh of relief – Da Boys have all caught their waves, so all is well in the universe.

Matt mentions how Goldenwest is so mellow.  This is “my spot” for surfing Huntington Beach, so I guess I just gravitate towards the mellow places in the surf world.  There were lots of beginners in the water, but even the skilled longboarders weren’t hogging all the waves and it was an overall mellow mood all morning.

Once we get back to change, we see Hideki pull up.  He said he surfed Brookhurst, just as we had planned.  I felt terrible that he surfed there without us, especially since he always makes the trip up to Manhattan Beach and it’s rare for us to surf together in HB.  I need to make more trips down here to show him some bromance. 

We all go eat at Pho Vie and get our fill in for amazing Pho and eggrolls.  I buy some Banh Mi for my family and we’re off to LA.  Matt and I both have obligations this afternoon, hence why the furthest we travelled was to HB. 

Rick is texting Matt, saying how good the secret spot further down south was.  “Firing” “You missed out” “How was HB” (sarcastically, of course) were the texts Matt read aloud for us.  Oh well. 

We had fun.  Saturday with Da Boys, awesome food, and enough time to start handling errands for the day. 

Mahalos Mother Ocean!!