Capturing the Moment

  Whenever there is a big swell at Honolua I get a bit nervous. There can be some very big waves there, and some very good surfers. This time was no different. The surf forecast was calling for 5-7ft waves, which could be well overhead at a place like Honolua Bay. The nerves usually give way to excitement, or stoke, as us surfers like to say. This is especially true after I catch my first wave.   It has been a while since I have had the chance to surf 'the bay'. I wrote about one of my last surf sessions here on this blog which you can check out thru this link: Surfing Honolua with Ben . This time the waves were bigger, but it was still early swell and long periods...which meant long waits. Add about a hundred or so people there to surf and I wasn't sure if I would get any waves. Luckily I snagged a few fun ones before having to leave. Honolua perfection   I wasn't sure how the crowd would be since there are almost no tourist on the island now thanks to a mand...

  Whenever I am in Maui I have to check and see if my favorite wave is breaking. Way up on the Northwest side of the island, about twenty minutes past Lahaina, an idyllic bay sits in the perfect position to wrap big northwest swells around its point, creating a perfect peeling right known as Honolua Bay. Always better with friends     A 'right' as surfers know it means that because of the direction the waves breaks over the reef, when you pop up on your board you travel to your right down the wave. I prefer 'lefts' since I surf goofy-footed, or right foot forward, and going left leaves me facing the wave. But I can't pass up a right as perfect as Honolua. I will often pig dog the wave, which means to reach down and grab the rail of the surfboard like I'm doing in the picture above.    It can be a mission just getting up to Honolua, so it's always better to do it with friends. This time my good friend Ben was also surfing. He is a goofy-foot as wel...

Your Best Source of Local Info No Swimming Allowed   I just returned from one of the most dangerous surfing spots in the world. Reunion Island has crystal clear tropical water with ultra-consistent waves, however the world class waves like St. Leu are going unridden. There are the typical dangers of powerful waves breaking over a razor sharp shallow reef (I am still  nursing a few scrapes and cuts), but this is not why thy lineups are empty. There have been 19 shark attacks since 2013 along the west coast of Reunion Island, and surfers seem to be the main target. Residents, surfers, and concerned politicians have tried everything from shark nets to enforcing an all-out ban on surfing. Lifeguards now act more as beach monitors, making sure no one goes into the water. Surfers however, are surfers through and through and will still find ways to go out. After a short respite from the attacks the surf community was rattled again a month ago as a surfer lost an arm a...

 The Pull of Africa Back for the animal encounters    After three '100 day' self driving safaris across 10 countries in Africa over the past 10 years I still havn't seen enough of this beautiful continent. I have taught baseball in Kenya, slept under a baobab tree in Tanzania, hiked with the gorillas in Uganda, and fell through a tree in Zambia. I've surfed at Jeffrey's Bay , scuba dove off Zanzibar Island , listened to lions roar outside my tent at night, and watched the sunrise from the summit of Kilimanjaro . Yet I still havn't seen enough of this continent.   So I'm back. This time I have nearly six weeks to spend which means big decisions to be made. I was lucky enough that my girlfriend Heidi also managed to get this time off which makes the decision a little easier because now it must include diving for nudibranchs! Always looking for a good camping spot    To narrow things down we first decided to focus on Southern Africa instead of ...

  We are used to big waves and swell here in Hawaii but this is a bit different. Hurricane Ana has been hanging out just over a hundred miles away from the islands over the past few days. The rain has been constant as we are seeing the effects of this massive storm. We luckily have avoided a direct hit on the islands but unruly surf started to arrive early yesterday. The coast guard has been telling people to stay out of the water but a few of us surfers were unfazed and felt comfortable enough to check it out. I went down to one of my favorite spots to check it out.   The wind was pretty consistent but not overly powerful so I decided to head out. There were waves ranging from crumbly 2 footers to massive overhead bombs. It was hard to choose which waves to go for but I managed to snag a few. The real enemy during this session was the ever present current trying to drag me farther down the shoreline. I fought the current and snagged some big waves but after an hour I figur...

  The big swells are heading towards the north shore here in Oahu, but I am still managing to find some really fun leftovers on the south shore that are glassy, uncrowded, and hanging at a wonderful 80°. Heidi stopped by for a quick minute and snagged a few pictures as I caught some waves at one of my favorite spots. Usually the rights are crowded with bodysurfers but today I even sneaked a good right into the session. Thanks for capturing the moment Heidi!

  In between huge close out sets like the two here, there were some fun, fast rides to be had along Oahu's south shoreline this weekend. One of the biggest swells of the summer decided to arrive after summer was officially over. I saw boat channels being closed out by huge waves, surfers scrambling up the rocks trying to get away from the pounding white water, and some amazing surfing as well.     For me it has been overall a very good swell. I've had four sessions in the past three days, catching some of my biggest waves of the season. The water is still warm, hovering around 80 degrees, and the winds have disappeared almost completely. I might even have one more session left in me this afternoon.   It is good to get these big swells right before the north shore starts lighting up to get prepared for the winter to come. Right now it is that incredible time of year when we have great waves on both coasts, which spreads out the crowd and gives you the pic...

  The first north swell of the season filled in over the past couple of days here on Oahu's fabled North Shore. These early swells are some of my favorite because of the lack of crowds. All the pros are in southern California for the Trestles ASP event, and other surfers are waiting for the peak season to fly to Hawaii. When I paddled out to this secret spot that I call "Big Lefts Oahu", there was only one other guy out. After a few waves he paddled in and I had the break all to myself for a couple hours. Glassy conditions and head high to overhead waves...can't ask for more than that.

Fresh off some cold water wetsuit surfing in New Hampshire I was eager to get back in the waves here in Hawaii. The swell has been consistent every day since I've been back. I've hit up a few different spots and have had some pretty fantastic rides at each.   I snagged a few photos with a GoPro camera attached to the front of my board. Then Heidi stopped by and grabbed a few more with the big camera. It is amazing to be able to find a great wave out here without a big crowd. That is definitely one of the big perks of living here and being able to explore different breaks. Looks like more swell on the way!

   While the North Shore is flat calm and ripe for scuba diving, the South shoreline has all the waves for surfing. Waves churned up by winter storms thousands of miles away in the southern hemisphere make their way over the equator to land upon our shoreline here in Oahu.   I have been pleasantly surprised by the size of the swells this summer. While the forecasts call for 2ft surf there are head high waves with windless, glassy conditions. It makes me realize just how blocked Maui's southern shoreline is by Koho'olawe island nearby. It would take a really big swell to make Maui's best waves start to open up. And forget surfing in the middle of the day or the afternoon. The wind would fill in and make conditions very tough.   So I guess this means I better get these waves while I can. And while these swell was only a 2-3ft swell, I imagine at least one big one has yet to come. When it does I will be ready.    Heidi has been behind the lens fo...