KKs Vacay - Chun's Reef and Puaena Point 010215

Surf Report: 5 - 10 foot faces
Water: Sorta warm?
Winds: Howling
Atmosphere: Cloudy as fuck

Fransauce was adamant about surfing today, and I could not agree more - I haven't surfed at all since I arrived in Hawaii, and it's been killing me. We agreed to dawn patrol the North Shore this day, and he said he will pick me up at 600 AM.

I was up by 530 AM.

It felt good to be back in my routine in the morning again. Warming up some water, stretching, breathing, all of that. What a turn around from partying all night in the last two days. I see Francis pull up into our driveway, and he gives me a call. My board has the fins already in them, and I gather my backpack and water and head down stairs.

We make our drive up to the fabled North Shore in the darkness. It seems like forever and a day since I've made this trek, but it also feels very familiar and nostalgic. We plan to meet his friends Brenton and Nick at Chun's Reef.

Chun's is a memorable place for me. On my first trip to the North Shore in 2008, I stayed here by myself and surfed the spot when it was 8-10 feet, Hawaiian scale, which meant 15-20 foot faces. I had no idea the difference between Hawaiian scale and normal scale. I was there by myself because I had broken up with my girlfriend at the time right before departing for Hawaii. Friends close to me know the reason why of our break up, so I will keep it at that. The reason for our break up was great enough for me to ask the person I loved to stay in LA and not come with me to Hawaii. So anyways, surfing, or rather, shitting my pants, out there at Chun's reef in 2008 has been a memorable experience for me. It was a humbling experience, scary experience, and also a moment of triumph for me too. I have never seen waves that big in my whole life, and was able to ride a 10 footer on the days when the swell dropped to half the size.

So, back at Chun's reef we were, and the waves looked okay. Nothing epic, really. Barely anyone was out. The waves looked mushy almost... which is fine, but for a 5-10 foot day, this was unexpected. Not only that, but the weather was not cooperating at all! Oh well... we're here, might as well get going.

The water felt warm, but it was definitely the coldest Hawaiian water I have ever experienced. The paddle out wasn't so bad, it was pretty smooth. A few duck dives on the inside, a few more on the outside, and we were all out in the line up. There was barely anyone out today. I guess it wasn't such a good day after all.

My first wave, I catch a small insider to warm up. I look back, and hear a big BOOOOM.

shit...

A wall of white water is heading towards me. I start to paddle out, but to no avail. I take the white water on the head.

From here on, I am trying to get to the channel, and with absolutely NO FUCKING LUCK. I duck dive, and get dragged. I paddle for my life, and can't get to the channel. As a matter of fact, I'm getting pulled to the next break. I put on my Mexico paddle, and still get no where. I'm stuck in a rip tide. I keep paddling, strong, hard, and persistently. I just can't get out of the rip tide!! I can't see any of the boys, and I hope I'm not making them worry. I'm ok! I'm just stuck on the inside, floundering around in the rip current.

I look back to triangulate my position. I'm still in front of the big brown house. I need to get to the lifeguard tower, just a mere thirty yards away. But Mother Ocean just won't let me go. I keep paddling parallel to the shore, trying to penetrate the rip.

Well, after about half an hour of battling the rip, I finally get out to the channel. I suppose my paddling muscles haven't been lost from all the partying - they are working just fine. However, I am pretty tired.

"Dude, you disappeared for so long, I was getting worried!" says Francis.

"I know, I got caught in the rip," I tell him.

"You were gone for like half an hour," he says.

"Well, my paddling muscles are working! Good thing to know," I laugh.

Brenton and Nick have taken off to Puaena Point now, and are no where to be found.

I scratch into a right, and take the drop super late. I am crouched so low that I am stiff. My body naturally starts to go into a bottom turn. Thank you training on land! I don't even have to think about it now. I make my way up the face of the wave, and do a top turn. Surprisingly, I stick it, but the bottom drops out and I eat shit. Not too shabby, I think to myself.

I see Francis take a right, and he looks back at the next wave coming. I see what he see's, and start to scratch for the horizon. It's too late, we are going to be caught inside. We take a few on the head, and make our way back to the line up.

Some Uncles are in the line up now. They take big waves like they are nothing, and are way more experienced than I in these waters. It's pretty nuts to see them charge on bigger waves than me when they are probably twice my age.

An Uncle paddles for a wave, but pulls out from it. I'm in position, so I start scratching for it. I'm in the critical spot... and I regretfully pull out on the set wave, and watch it peel across the reef cleanly. Something told me to pull out, and I feel like a little bitch doing so. Stupid head, always getting in the way. I gotta stop listening to my head while I surf.

I'm looking at the line up and don't see Francis. I wonder if he had gone to Pidley's, the reef further north. I catch a small wave, and look for him.

I finally spot a person on the beach, with his surfboard in the sand with the tail pad up. The green tail pad is indistinguishably Francis. I hear the sets break on the outside again, and say FUUUUCK THAT SHIT, and take the white wash in. We smile at each other for surviving some junky conditions.

BACK TO BACK SESSION: PUAENA POINT

We pack our stuff, and head to Puaena Point, since Nick and Brenton are over there. PP is a place I last surfed with Alex and his then girlfriend Cassandra on my last visit to Hawaii in 2013. It was big, gnarly, and crowded as hell. Alex, then known as the Soft Top Bandit, was killing it the whole session.

So, when arriving to the point, it was surprising to see the waves were a third of the size compared to Chun's. Not only that, but it was junky as hell too. The crowd was mellow too, but there was still a  crowd.

I came up with zero rides this session. It was just that bad, for me at least. And it was cold as fuck. I couldn't believe I was shivering in the line up. I had to keep paddling to keep my body warm, but even then the water just sent chills down my whole body.

We four end up going to Storto's for lunch, and order some sandwiches. We also grab a smoothie from Lanikai Juice next door. That was probably a bad idea, because we are now cold from head to toe. Francis and I blast the heater on the way back to town because it was so cold.

Again, a different kine of Hawaii experience this trip. You gotta take the good, the bad, and the ugly, all the same to appreciate a place like Hawaii, or any place for that matter. I have been so fortunate to score great surf in the times I've been here during the different seasons, that I am grateful and humbled by experience this kine of Hawaii.

Mahalos Mother Ocean!!