KKs Vacay: Velzyland 120913

Surf Report: 2-4 feet Hawaiian scale (4-8 feet on the face)
Water: Cool for Hawaiian standards
Atmosphere: Sunny
Winds: Off shore

I was awoken by my the gentle humming of my cell phone and a car's exhaust hurriedly going up the road.  It sounded like Alex's car.

Missed Call: Alex

I call him back.  "Hey, I think that I heard you go past the house.  Turn back around."

Alex has made the trek to the North Shore with one of his buddies, D-Roy.  I sheepishly greet them.  It was my first full night's sleep since getting to Hawaii.  The Dojo is great, but having your own bed is definitely something that was missing on my vacation.

I give them a tour of the house and tell them to settle in.  I hadn't done any grocery shopping, so I could only offer them water.  I tell them I have to do my shoulder exercises, and then we can go surf.

"This is a sick place!" Alex and D-Roy say.

"Yea, it's really nice, I really out-did myself with it here."

"Where do you wanna surf?"

"Well, V-land is right down the street, and I got this place so we can surf there, but we can surf wherever," I tell them.

"V-land sounds good man, I haven't surfed there in a long time," D-Roy says.

"We can walk there, it's just 3 blocks over that way," I say.

"Man, walking's for POOR PEOPLE!" Alex says.  "I'll drive."

"Really man?  It's right down the street..."

"I'll drive," he insists.

Fine, drive.  V-land is literally three blocks down.  It wasn't much of a drive.

I  brought my Neckbeard out to this session.  We parked our car, and walked down the asphalt, through some trees, and bam, there's an A-Frame peeling right in front of us.  There are about ten, twelve people in the line up.  There's a knee boarder, some body boarders, a chick, and a few uncles surfing.  I mean, it's a weekday, what did you really expect?  Plus there isn't much swell in the water.

We stretch, and D-Roy says, "Man, it's gonna be COLLLDDD."

"Oh you Hawaiians, so spoiled," I laugh.

The Soft Top Bandit paddles out, and I follow him through the channel.  I start thinking to myself, man, this is the spot that every Hawaiian talks about.  The legendary Dale Velzy's name is on this spot.  Buttons surfed here.  The Ho's.  The Rothmans.  The Bustin Down the Doors.  They all surfed here.

The wave itself is like Trestles.  The rights are nice and long, and the lefts are there if you're willing to put up with the shallow inside.  The take off is steep, and the sections barrel most of the time.  The inside is shallow, so you don't want to get caught on the sets.

I learned the line up this day, and where to line myself up.  There was a definite pecking order, where the Uncles and the knee boarder had priority.  We waited for wider sets to break and picked off the smaller waves.  Alex aka the Soft Top Bandit was in the thick of things and charging hard.  He inspired me to charge into the pack and go for the set waves.

I caught one good wave where I got two round house carves off.  The wave was so fat and meaty that two round house carves fit into the face.  I pumped, bottom turned mid face and arched around, then pumped from the white water and did a round house again in the flats.

D-Roy was wearing similar boardshorts to this other local, so I found myself hooting at the wrong dude.  Oops.

The guys in the line up were very helpful.  They told me if I saw a peak pop up to the left of me, then the wave will bend right where we were sitting.  If it broke outside, then it will swing wide and break to our left.  Those ones are bigger and harrier, but they offered a barrel off the take off.  I missed one of these wide ones where an Uncle was telling me to go, but the lip was barreling over me so I bailed out.  Still getting used to this break... I felt a bit inadequate in my abilities, naturally.

"I like these in between days... they make my winter.  Everyone would be out and crowding the spot if it was a big day... but these in between days... when no one's out?  They're the best," and Uncle said.  I have to agree.  I didn't quite understand what he meant by "crowding" but I will find out soon enough, since I was living down the street here.  

We surfed for a few hours and called it a day.

Kev had called us, and he said they were en route to the North Shore.  We said we needed to grab food, so they should meet us in Haleiwa.   

On the way there, we had parked at Wailua Bakery.  The place was PACKED.  I saw Sage Erickson's sexy ass there as we walked by the line.  She was talking with some other professional surfers.  So, we opted out of Wailua Bakery and decided to try a Viet Namese place.  Unfortunately when we crossed the street where the Viet Namese restaurant was located, it was closed.  So, we decided to eat at L&L.

Alex had lost his $20, so I bought the boys lunch since they came all the way out here.  Kev and B-Sauce showed up to the L&L, and ordered some food too.  Alex was still bummed about his lost $20, so I told him we should retrace our steps, and maybe it will still be out there.

After we eat, we cross the street and start to retrace our steps.  I find a $5 bill on the ground, so I thought to myself, "Oh, I should give this to him so he doesn't feel so bummed."

Then, I see a crumpled up $20 bill near our car.  BINGO.

"Yo! Found it!!  I found this $5 and was gonna give it to you, but since we found your $20, I'm gonna keep it."

"Whaaaat? You found the $20?  And you found a $5?" Alex was flabbergasted.

We get to my house and give the boys a small tour.  Then we go to V-land where we surf a second session.  The second session had more or less the same crowd of Uncles, the chick, and more groms out since school was done.  It was still pretty small, but I struggled catching waves while not running over the groms on the inside.  Alex, of course, took a lot of waves on his soft top.  We surfed for a good two and a half hours this second session, but it was more of a learning session for me than anything. 

I took off on a set wave that came to me on the inside.  It was a beautiful wave, but it seemed to close out in front of me, and I thought I could have gotten around it.  The wave crashed, and I couldn't get around the section.  I was now stuck in the shallows of V-land.  And when I mean shallows, I mean knee deep with sets breaking on your head.  Nothing you can do but take it without duck diving, stand up, get your feet cut up, and hope the sets let up.  I paddled around the reef, and paddled back into the channel and politely bowed out of the line up. 

However, in hindsight, I should have just pulled into the barrel first, and then think about what to do with the section ahead of it.  I had missed the barrel.  I was pissed at myself for missing the barrel.  It was RIGHT THERE.  It was mine for the taking.  I took off smoothly behind the peak, and all I had to do was to shoot for it.  Instead, I went around it, and got punished.  Indeed, the safest place to be on a wave is inside the barrel. 

Sunsets in HI

That night, I got invited to the Outrigger Canoe Club's Annual Christmas party.  I had to drive into Town during rush hour, but hey, it was a party.  It was an all you can eat buffet, and I had a grand time. There was some entertainment and games played by the staff of the Outrigger Canoe Club.  There were some cool people I met there which I hope to keep in touch with, and not to say that there were a few alcoholic beverages to be had too.  The party ended, and we ended up at the bar.  Alex was having some girl trouble with Cass, so he was in a foul mood that night.  Francis and I took off early in the night, and we came home to the Dojo, only to confront Cass crying her face off about Alex.

Buffet!!

After listening to her cry her heart out, I told her "I gotta drive back to the North Shore, so I'm taking off."  I felt bad that Francis is stuck with this, but he's dealt with it before, and he told me he left after I left too.

My first plate

The drive back to the North Shore was long and quiet.  There are no radio signals that reach out here, so I drove in silence with my thoughts ringing inside of my head.  It was hard not to get tunnel vision, and I was lucky that I got home safely. 

KKs Vacay: Watching the Pipe Masters and North Shore Rental 120813

Surf Report: 8-10 feet solid
Water: Warm
Winds: Off shore
Atmosphere: Sunny

I woke up kinda late... I couldn't sleep last night.  The Dojo smoked me out last night, and I had to bow out as they passed a joint while loading up the bong.  I chilled in the living room, where they proceeded to smoke wax dabs.  Damn, they smoke a gang...

I had thousands of thoughts shooting through my head and couldn't sleep... gotta sleep... Pipe Masters tomorrow...

I woke up around 7:00 and started to get my stuff together.  I didn't want to take everything with me since I'd be on the beach, so I packed my backpack and my uke, and headed to Bogart's.  I got my Acai bowl to go, where a girl just handed me one she just made.  "The guy said he'll be back, so you take this one," she said.  The place was packed with marathon runners taking a break?  or something.... I'm not sure, but it was packed already.

I made my way to the H1 and headed to the H2, making that fateful drive to the North Shore.  There are windmills dotting the hills now... a change in scenery I will have to get used to...

For just for a day, our King and Queen
Would visit all these Islands and saw everything
How would they feel about the change in our land?

Could you just imagine if they were around
and saw highways on their sacred grounds
how would they feel about this modern city life?

-Braddah Iz Hawaii '78

As I approached familiar breaks like Chuns and Left Overs, the traffic started to get heavy.  It wasn't that bad really, but there was no street parking... I saw a $10 parking "lot" and paid the guy at the front and parked next to a family.

"Let's go!  Beach day!" the parents were telling their sleepy kids.

The famed bike path

I took all my stuff with me since I didn't want any break ins.  I had packed some snack bars and what not to keep me going during the day until I decided to leave the beach.  A sign pointed "PIPELINE" right by, so I crossed the street, crossed the bike path, and headed through the two houses.  I can hear the contest horn going off....

And BAM, I was in between the Volcom house and another house, right in front of the Banzai Pipeline.  What luck!  I walked down the steps to see the third heat underway - Alejo Muniz vs. Marcus Hickman. I set out my beach towel next to these groms sitting on some camera equipment and plopped down.  I started to eat my Acai bowl as I watched the contest, live and direct.

My View of Pipeline / Backdoor

I saw many heats this day from 8:30 in the morning... I saw the camera groms were actually just guarding a photographer's stuff, a photographer named Sebastian Imizcoz.  Two babes sat at the camera gear for a while until he returned, as he would do standing photography, and then put on his fins and helmet and go photograph in the water.

The Volcom House

Joel Parko and Matt Wilko walked by and said hi to the babes and Sebastian too.  So, this photog must be famous.

Bruce Irons

Kissed by the Hawaiian Sun

I was going back and forth between my "seat" and the competitor's area getting autographs and photo's.  One thing that was common between the surfers: They were all STOKED to give me their autograph.  Genuine happiness oozed from them when they signed my book.  They didn't just scribble whatever, they made sure their autograph looked good.

Seabass after his 10 point ride

Hearing the roooooar of the white wash so close, the spit every time a wave crashed, the surfers risking everything for a barrel, and the cheers of the crowd was ELECTRIFYING.  It's unlike anything I've ever seen.  I've watched this context countless times on the web, but it doesn't compare to being there, touching the grainy North Shore sand, smelling the ocean breeze, feeling your skin bake under the sun, hearing the ten foot waves crashing and the announcers that you can name over the PA, seeing the epic wipe outs, feeling the pounding of the waves and the water washing away the spectators who are too close, and just the vibe of a beach day picnic mixed with the superbowl of surfing all together.  It was sensory overload for me.

Gabriel Medina - he has HUUUUUGE feet, meaning he has a huuuuuuuge shoe box

I talked to some people during the day.  Some came from Boston, North Carolina, Argentina, Germany, and Brazil, all to watch this contest.  Most of these people I talked to weren't even surfers - they just wanted to watch the contest though.  They would comment, "Oh wow that was so deep!" and "Oh my god!! That was such a steep drop!!" Surfing is truly becoming a globally recognized "sport."

Brazilian Butts

I watched the Pipe Masters from 8:30 AM till 2:30 PM.  I was high off of my mind, not even feeling hungry.  I told myself though, that I should eat, and so I bowed out from the contest.  I went back to the parking "lot" and there was a food truck called the Beet Box Cafe truck.  They had pretty healthy stuff and everything was locally grown, so I got a Beet Box Burrito.  It was deeeelicious!

Freddy P!!

The Beet Box Cafe truck

I made my way to my car, and packed up my stuff.  I headed towards my vacation rental, which was past Sunset Beach, two blocks past Ted's Bakery, on a small road called Comcas Road.  Children played in the driveway so I had to drive slowly.  I saw the place I would call home for the next eight days.  A family was still packing up and about to leave.  I pull up and say hi to them as they hurriedly packed their things to make space for me. 

Beto - Brazilian artist

Inside, I can see a man working furiously to clean up the place for me.  This man is none other than Myles Padaca - one of my surf hero's that surfs Sunset Beach.  He made the contest's final round in 2010, and I watched the whole contest cheering him on because of his power moves and style.  And, he was shirtless!

He greets me, showing me the whole place.  "You have allllll this space to yourself!" he said.  His wife, Chaney, came down with extra towels.  "If you need extra bedding because of a guest sleeping over, just tell us and we'll provide them for you," she said.  "Here are your keys," as she handed them to me, "and I hope you enjoy your stay.  The Medina's were just here, and we had a double move out, so it's been crazy." 

So, that family that just left was Peter Mendia's family... another surf family.  Another surfer I look up to. 

The Living Room

I settle into my new spot... I turn on the Laker game and debate if I should go back into Town... The traffic will be horrible.  I better just stay put.  After all, I'm supposed to relax on my vacation, not drive through traffic and be stressed.  Good thing I brought some of my stuff with me.  It's not much, but I'll be fine. 

Queen sized bed

I walk to Ted's Bakery and get the "healthiest" dinner plate, a deep fried mahi mahi with mac salad and rice.  It was meh.  They're most known for their desserts. 

The shitter

A quiet night of solitude for myself.  It was a stark contrast from the hustle n bustle of Waikiki and the Dojo.  There are no lights around the Country.  Crickets and birds chirped the night away as I melted into my bed at 10:00 PM. 

KKs Vacay: Surfing Puena Point and Meeting JOB 120713

Surf Report: Overhead++
Water: Warm
Winds: Off shore
 Atmosphere: Sunny with patchy clouds

Cassandra, Alex and I pile into my rental and head off to the West side.  We stop off at the local shop to pick up some water and snacks and get on the H1 freeway.  Tunes are jamming, and we tell each other stories and jokes the whole time.

"So there was this girl that had a seizure in the midst of giving head to her boyfriend and bit his dick off," Cass says.

"WHAT??"

"Yea, so she went into shock, and her teeth clamped down, and her boyfriend couldn't wrench out his dick from her teeth, so he had his dick bitten off."

"Hash tag dick bitten off," I say.

As we make our way to the West side... we see a familiar scene.  The swell isn't hitting the West side again.  It's pretty flat every where.  It was maaaaaaybe two feet on the face.  We pull into an empty parking lot, and contemplate our move. Paddle out? Or drive back to the North Shore?

"Let's go to the North Shore," I say.

And so, off to Haleiwa we went.

As we pulled into Haleiwa, the whole parking lot is PACKED.  It's insane.  We find a parking spot as Alex goes to pee.  I go to see the break, and there are legit overhead waves rolling through perfectly through the point all the way to the Toilet Bowl section.  First wave, a braddah takes off behind the peak, double bottom turns and makes it around the section.  He then blasts the lip and shreds the rest of the wave.  The next wave, another local braddah takes off behind the peak, and shreds the shit out of it.  The next wave, another local braddah... on and on and on.

The walk to Puena Point, with Alex's sexy butt leading the way

"There's no way we can compete with that.  We're not going to get any waves.  It's all the locals out there right now," I say.

"We can try Puena Point, it's more for kooks, but we might be able to get some waves there," Alex says.  "It's right over there where we drove past to get to Haleiwa."

Cass

We pull into a crowded parking lot at Puena Point.  Cass offers to drive around to find parking so Alex and I could see the waves if it's worth paddling out.  We walk through a small passage full of palm trees and get to the paddle out spot.  There are a bunch of surf schools teaching people to surf on the inside, and on the waaaaay outside, we can see overhead sets rolling through the point.  The rights look fast and shallow, while the lefts look long and shreddable.

"I'm sold," I say.  "Let's paddle out here."

"How's it looking boys?" Cass says from behind.

"Oh shit, you found parking?" Alex asks.

"Yea, found parking, so are we paddling out here?"

"Yea, let's go for it."

We all get changed and grab our boards.  I brought over Pat's Nezzy board, the biggest and juiciest board in my quiver for the North Shore.  It's a 6'3" x 19 1/2 x 2 5/8 behemoth with a pin tail.  Cass is on her longboard 2+1 set up, and Alex is on the soft top once again. As we walk towards the path, there's a man in a raised yellow Jeep, blasting loud house music.  There is a house in the Dojo that has a similar car like that, so Alex asks the owner if he lived in Town.  He said no, as he stuffed his face with poke.  He wished us good luck as he jammed to his house music. 

The Emergence of the Soft Top Bandit

This session was quite difficult for me.  I set my "limit" on paddling out to 5 or 6 feet on the face because of my shoulder injury.  Legit overhead waves meant 7 to 8 feet on the face today.  Not only that, the place was crowded as hell.  I didn't catch one single wave until the very end because either an Uncle or a local was already on it, or that I would be hitting someone as I took off.

Cass took off on three waves.  On all three waves, she snaked someone.  She was a bit unsure if that was ok, but I reassured her that she has a cute bikini on, and so the view from behind would be a pleasure if she dropped in on someone.

Alex was straight CHARGING.  He was taking off deep on the set waves on his foamie.  He took pretty much every wave that rolled through his way.  He went both left and right, making every drop and every wave.  It was pretty hardcore.  I couldn't believe it. No one in the line up could believe it.

I got one final wave where I played dodgeball on my take off.  I look up to bottom turn, and see the section closing out ahead of me, so I straighten out.  I signal to Cass that I was out.

I paddle in to the shore and wait for Cass and Alex.  Cass comes in, and realizes a huge gash on her board.  She felt really bad and apologetic towards Alex, who brushed it off as if it was nothing.

"Better the board than you, Cass," I told her.

"That's right," Alex said.

The old dude in the yellow Jeep was still there, jamming out to house music.  There was another car, blasting Jawaiian music, as if competing for air space.

"Where should we go eat?"

"Wanna try Pupukea grill?"

"Yea, I'm down, let's go there," I replied.  

And so, off to Shark's Cove we went.  Pupukea Grill is a food truck located right by the Shark's Cove.  It's a mainstay of the North Shore with delicious, healthy food.  We pull up next to the gas station where the Pupukea Grill is located, and can't find parking.  So, I just park on the side of the road next to the mailbox of the gas station.

We get in line as we look at the menu, and I see a few cameramen following a blind guy.  He has a yellow stick, and immediately I know it's Derek, the blind Brazilian surfer.  So, I go up to him and his posse, and introduce myself.  I say in Portuguese, "Obrigado por inspiracion," (Thank you for the inspiration,) and he gives a big smile and shakes my hand.  The camera crew is smiling too, asking how I know about his story.  I tell him that I saw a video of him with Makua Rothman surfing Pipe, and that he's such an inspiration.  They tell me to check out the movie they are making of him called Beyond Sight.  I told them I will check it out, and to keep up the great work.

As we waited for our food, Alex hands me a Free Surf magazine.  We flip through the pages as we see all the amazing photography done by the big names like Bielmann, DJ Struntz, Jeff Divine, and Zak Noyle.

I sit down and order a salad and coconut curry quinoa dish, along with an Acai smoothie.  I needed the salad since I've been eating pretty much anything but greens, and I needed to feel human again.  All the good eats has made me shit liquids, and so it felt good to have green fiber in my stomach again. 

We all finish our meal, and head back to the car.

"Hey, that was Jamie O'Brien," Alex turns around and says to me.

WHAT

I swing around and see a tall dude with a Red Bull hat on, and the raised truck on 4x4's that I've seen countless times.  It's fucking J.O.B.!!

If you don't know this, I am a HUUUUUGE fan of JOB.  I love his surfing at Pipe.  He was one of the first surfers to win a Pipe Masters who only specialized in surfing Pipeline.  He goes switch foot in the barrel there, and has some of the heaviest waves of the winter every year.  On top of that, he shares my birthday of June 9th.

I tell Cass and Alex, "Guys, I have to go, I need to get his autograph!"

"Go! Do it!" they said.

So, I go back to the Pupukea Grill and smile at the people waiting in line.  My heart beat is racing but I keep it cool.  The cash register lady is taking out the trash, and replacing the garbage bag.  I patiently wait for her to finish.  My heart is thumping.  She returns to her register, and asks, "May I help you?" to me.

"Yes, may I borrow a pen please?" I ask eagerly.

"A pen? Sure," she replies.

She hands me a ball point pen, and I turn to JOB.

"Hey, Jamie, I'm a huge fan of yours," I say as I extend my hand towards him.

"Oh yea?  Sick man!  Hows it going?"

"Good, thank you.  Would you mind signing this please?" 

"Oh yea, of course!  What's your name?"

"Klaude, we share the same birthday.  We're both 69'ers." I reply.

He laughs at my 69er comment.  "Sick Klaude, did you surf Pipe today?"

"Hell no, that place is waaaaay out of my ability," I reply.  He's signing it.  He's really fucking signing it!!

"Well, you gonna come watch tomorrow right?"

"Yea, I will.  And look, I know you're not surfing in the competition because of the whole Ricardo Dos Santos thing, but I hope to see you free surf," I say.

He grins and hands me back the magazine.  "Here you go man, hope to see you there!"

"Thanks!"


He was genuinely stoked to give me an autograph.  Not only that, he wrote me a little message too: "Keep it real."

The four average looking girls flash a wide smile at me, as if to say, "Oh my god!! The guy we are with is really a famous professional surfer!! HE'S FAMOUS!"

We call them Pro-Hoes.

The reason why JOB can't surf in the Pipe Masters is because he punched a surfer during a competition at Tahiti.  The ASP barred his entry to the Pipe Masters even though he's one of, if not THE, best surfer out there.

Back at the car, Cass and Alex give me props for going up to JOB and getting his autograph.  I felt content, even though I didn't catch that many waves.  We make our way back into Town.  Alex knocks the fuck out in the passenger seat, so Cass and I talk on the way home.  We talk about careers and jobs, and how it's hard to find people who are driven in life.  I reassure her that she will find her niche, or group of friends, that she shares the same drive with, and sometimes, you have to cut out people who don't share that from your close circle of friends.  "What you seek is seeking you," I tell her. 

We get back in the afternoon, and we chill for a while.  Cass and Alex spend some quality time together, and are doing their thing.

The rest of the Dojo and I go off to Sandy's.  We body surf playful waves and come home.  The night is already dark, and I pop in Django Unchained.  I can hear from Alex's room that Cass and him are getting it on, so I turn up the volume.

"What do you want to do at your last night at the Dojo?" Kev asked.

"Actually, I wanted to just chill.  I'm pretty tired, and I want to go to the North Shore tomorrow to watch the opening rounds of the Pipe Masters," I replied.

"Freeaaaal.  Well if that's what you wanna do, then that's cool too," B-sauce said.

Later that night, I met up with Aiko-chan, a friend of ours from Los Angeles who moved back to Japan.  She was also participating in the Honolulu marathon, and flew in from Japan.  We meet up at her hotel lobby and walk around Ala Moana mall.  We catch up since we haven't seen each other since my sister's wedding in June.

The Dojo was quiet that night... The Boys respected my wishes of a quiet night and kept the living room empty and all did their own thing.  B-Sauce went to a birthday party, and so I didn't see him all night.

The sound of the water trickling down the turtle pond in our neighbor's property lulled me to sleep, as I tried to sleep... in anticipation of watching the Pipeline Masters live and direct for the first time in my life.

Aiko-chan and me, night before she runs for the Honolulu Marathon

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!!!!