Nostalgia factory: 4 29 03, same swell as Kalama photo down below (it lasted a whole week!). Let's see who is the first that posts a comment guessing where I took this picture. Funny, the guy deeper seems to be saying:"vaffanculo, get out of my wave!", and he probably is. Why people don't stick to surf etiquette? Intentionally dropping in on somebody's else wave is one of the rudest things I can think of...

Let's continue with the nostalgia factory. This spectacular sunset happened on 9-17-2001 at Paia beach. It was the last day of my first year in Maui and I didn't know if I was going to come back. I my mind the Doors' song "The end" inexplicably started playing. It was a tough moment. But, hey! I was able to come back and I'm still here!

Monday 7 25: 8 am forecast

Flat like a lake everywhere (apart the unridable windswell). Maybe a super small bump on the south around Thursday and maybe a small WNW one at the end of the week. Strong trade winds. What a bad summer wavewise! Hang in there. July is almost gone, we only have to survive August and September...

snails feasting on Papaya right outside the shack. It must be aphrodisiac food for them. Look how many kids around!!

kitesurfer ice sculpture at David's birthday party

This is what an English woman can do with tomatoes...

This is what an Italian man can do with tomatoes... It may not look as good as the photo above, but it tastes better!

7-19: 6.30 am forecast

Howzit everybody. I'm having techincal difficulties with the sofware that uploads the photos, but here is a lil' forecast. New south swell is here. The buoys south of Hawaii show 2 feet, 16 feet. The equator buoy peaked Sunday evening with 4 feet, 14 sec. That means that the swell will peak on our shores tonight. Still pretty good tomorrow all day. Nothing too big, maybe head high at selected spots. Hey, considering how flat it has been for a while, I'll be on it! Also because after this week, next week will be pretty flat again. Work hard and save the money in the bank so that you can go surf all day in winter. That's my tip of day.

This is Napoli, where I grew up. Pretty, uh? Too bad there are no waves... speaking of which, they are absolutely missing over here too. It's not a good summer on the south shore. In front of us a boring flat windy weekend. A moderate south swell will arrive Tuesday. October is still far away... I need a surf trip somewhere south. Or maybe I need to live 6 months in Hawaii in winter and the other 6 months in the southern emisphere... yeah, the endless winter, that's what I need to do!

tuesday 7 12 : 7 am forecast

Oh, finally a decent map for the south pacific! I added the link to the south pacific weather maps for those of you who want to check it out. Don't get too excited, though. It's just a decent one. It could be a little better if the low was more east of New Zealand (wider fetch) and/or if the fetch was a little longer. It could be A LOT better if it was preceded or followed by similar maps. Unfortunately neither yesterday nor tomorrow's (on the same web site you can select to see the upcoming modeled maps) maps are going to be that good. But... it could be a lot worse too! Wonna bet that next Tuesday July 19th we're gonna get some waves? And even if they're not gonna be that big... hey, we'll take anything.
In the meantime, tomorrow there will be another small one from the south. Check the buoys south of the island for exact arrival time. Not showing up yet at the time.
North shore flat like the rocker of my Gem slalom windsurf board for the next 7-10 days at least. There's a typhoon forming south of Japan, but it's moving away from us and I don't think we'll get anything at all. Strong trades and related windswell will rule.

March 1st 2004. This spot on the west side is called "hole in the head". That day it should have benn called "hole in the overhead"...

this is my fav pic of the day.

extreme low tide at Shark pit. This guy doesn't seem to care... Hey, when you got to go surf, you got to go surf... Waves were knee to waiste high. In the first half hour I caught 10 of them. One every 3 minutes. Again, like the trains in the London underground. Just a little safer.

this thorn was in my slippers. Thanks to the f--ing haole missioners for importing the keave trees in Hawaii (true story).

stoked already!

stylish hawaiian switches stance at Breakwall

OK. I figured that the forecasts (just published one) were not enough to keep your interest high and, in absence of new exciting photos, I decided to adopt a nostalgia strategy, by publishing old photos. This one is Dave Kalama at McGregor on 5-4-2003. That was the best south swell I witnessed since I'm here. And this was the best longboard top turn I witnessed since I'm here. I wonna be able to do that. It's gonna be a long way, maybe too long... but the path is clear!

wednesday 7-6: 6 am forecast

Howzit everybody. There's still small waves on the south shore. A new small south swell will peak on Thursday (equator buoy showing 4 feet, 12 sec on Tuesday). A bigger one will arrive Friday and peak on Saturday. The NOAA forecasts advisory levels (8 feet faces for the south shore)... I wish they were right, but I honestly don't see that happening... in Maui at least! Actually the fetch that set up last Friday July 1st east of New Zealand was pretty damn good. It just didn't stay in place long enough to generate the energy needed to travel all the way up here and stay big. We'll see... In the long range, after this weekend episode, the south shore will be pretty flat most of next week, with a hint for a swell during next weekend.
North shore is flat like a frog smashed by a super size tire of a big truck driven by a fat local guy on east Kuiaha on a rainy day.
A mini bump from NW, very similar to the WNW one forecasted for the last weekend, could arrive at the beginning of next week. Since that WNW one never showed up, there's not much to be excited of...
Usual boring strong trade winds. I'm sooo happy I got my one man canoe to play with. So long.

Saturday 7-2: 6am forecast

Howzit everybody. Little energy from around 200 degrees started to show at two of the buoys south of Hawaii. The equator buoy peaked Friday morning with 4 feet, 16 seconds. Thismorning it's sill hanging in there, but the period went quickly down to 12 sec. That means that the swell should peak in Hawaii around noon Sunday and linger for a couple of days. Not a big one, though.
Monday we should also get some energy from WNW that will make for some fun wavesailing rides.
And next week a few more back to back medium southern hemi episodes.
Strong trades.