Saturday, June 13, 2009

Oahu day 10 - Relentless energy from the South Pacific.

That was the title of an email from the Surfline forecaster to inform me that the day that I will finally give my abused body a rest is far to come.
Bloddy hell, how was my timing in coming to Oahu?

Between sessions, right out of the water at Waikiki, I ran into the annual parade for the King Kamehameha day.

Here's a few misses.




Beautiful flowers!


Not sure what takes to be "Chinese model mother of the year", but sure Mrs Yun Soong Jim knows.


Meanwhile, even the usually beginner friendly spots of Queens and Canoes were seeing some serious action.




I can tell two things for sure about those speedo wearing tourists:
1) they are italians
2) they're not gay


Wait, I'll take that back.


Click on this one. Both ladies and gents will appreciate it... BTW, isn't she lovely?


Kobe Bryant.


If I'm ever going to do a movie about this trip, Dancing Auntie will have a whole chapter. She was hysterical.


Session report.
Today yet another day of waves. Marcio slept in late and I opted for Publics again. I like that wave, because even though it can get big (plenty overhead sets today), the drop is steep only at the very moment you catch it and then it gets immediately mellow. That helps me overcome the fear or dropping in big waves with the 6.10.
Here's the two main areas where I already improved my shortboard surfing in 10 days:
1) paddling: I paddle way stronger and can catch waves that I would normally miss.
2) duck diving: damn, am I practicing that or what? I'm way more confident to make it even under big ones, still sometimes I relax and fuck up...
Areas where I haven't improved yet, but I'm now conscious I need to improve (which
is already an improvement, if you think about it:
1) generating speed by doing turns. Got to get those rails engaged at every single moment. Just cruising up high on the wave to make the sections is more of a longboard thing.
2) bottom turns, top turns, cut backs... in other words all turns.
3) reading the waves

In the afternoon I went to Da Spot and since the waves were bigger, I decided to take the 81l out instead of the Sea Lion.
Man, that was a lot of work for those four waves... uphauling was the only option, that's how light it was.

Wave count up to date.
windsurfing: 86
surfing: 146
Grand total: 232

"GOOD-EPIC SURF: 4-7 ft. - shoulder high to 2 ft. overhead occasionally 8 ft. and good-epic conditions."... that's the surfline forecast for the next four days...

You got to be kidding me! I'm having a blast you guys...

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