Indo report day 5

Da 5 - Thursday August 3rd

The waves were up again (head high with occasional bigger sets), but the morning session had a mix of two swells in the water and the wind was sideoff instead of the usual straight offshore.
In this place's scale, I gave it a 3. In the Hookipa Middles' scale it would be an 8.
The gopro shot below shows a bottom turn in which I hit a bump and the fins skipped a bit on me (I put an arrow to indicate where that happened). That suggested me to try bigger side fins, or at least one bigger side fin on the bottom turn side.
There's no rights on this break, so asymmetrical can make sense. Fortunately I didn't fall and that wave was a 35 seconds ride. Not too shabby for a 3, but a 3 nonetheless.

Session two at sunset was bigger with solid head and a half pushing double when the two swells overlapped. The bigger side fins held a lot better and this was a top turn that got my adrenaline going.

 It was pretty tricky though, not the usual perfect and easy ruler kind of line to read. I blew the drop on a big one and in the moment of the frame below, I had been under water for 11 seconds. 

The board is completely submerged because I'm pulling on the leash to get back up. Which I will eventually in a couple of more seconds, but only to get the lip of the next one right on the head.
The wind was more offshore and, once again, compared to how good it can be, the afternoon was still just a 5.

Dinner was a 10 instead. Grilled fish (I most definitely don't eat vegan anymore here, because I have no choice), salad and an ultra sweet pumpkin soup poured over abundand rice.

I also read an extremely short book called: "Summary, Analysis and Key Takeaways of The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer" by Wiseminds. I bought without looking too much into it, because it was only 99 cents, but it's not even worth that.
I would recommend to Read the original book by Michael Singer instead, that was a 10 and the best book I've ever read. So good that the next book I started is another Singer book called: "The surrender experiment. My journey into life's perfection". I will report my impressions when done reading it.

Indo report days 3 and 4

The photo shows one of the many goats that free roam in the village (and in the camp) and the local fleet of fishing boats in the beautiful morning light.

Day 3 - Tuesday August 1st

As predicted, the waves were down to head high. That's still really fun, but I chose to rest because of tiredness and a hint of sore throat.
In Maui I never get sick, but in Indo I do. I believe it's a combo of too much surfing and not eating my usual healthy diet. Whatever it is, I didn't want to risk it.

Day 4 - Wednesday August 2nd
As predicted the waves were even smaller today. It would still be fun at low tide with the offshore, but the throat is doing better and I prefer to keep healing.
It should start getting bigger tomorrow afternoon.

I also finished reading the first of the 5 books that I bought for this trip: a great history book called A brief history of humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. Never been too much into history (at least the way it is taught at school), but this guy sees things from a very different perspective. I gave it a 9.2.

Indo report days 1 and 2

I decided to keep a log of my indo sessions, so why not post it on the blog for the hard core aficionados...
I haven't busted the cameras out yet, so maybe this will give me the motivation to do so.
I'm at my favorite spot in Indo and the waves are absolutely awesome as usual.

Day 1 - July 30. I totally sucked in my first session. A month of longboarding in Maui made my shortboard paddling weak and my standing up action slow.
Session 2 was redemption time and I did a lot better. Conditions were awesome at low tide with head high plus, very clean offshore.
8.5

Day 2 - July 31. Session 1 had high tide and no offshores but plenty wall.
6.8
Session 2. First hour was a 9 with solid head and a half  occasionally pushing double and beautiful drops and walls. I got a little cover up. Second hour I got caught inside 3 times and the paddle back to the lineup was brutal: 20 minutes. I pretty much paddled the whole time. After the third time, I couldn't even paddle back out and waited for the boat to pick me up in the middle of the ocean.

Pretty much surfed out already after only 2 days... Hopefully the waves will slow down a bit mid week so that I can rest a little.
Can't believe I just wrote that... what a great problem to have!

off to Indonesia

In true GP fashion, based on a good forecast for my favorite wave in the world (and a poor forecast for Maui), I bought last minutes tickets to Indo and I'm out of here this morning. Please keep checking the blog because I will sporadically post stuff. The Maui Morning Calls will resume early September.

6am west side is flat to knee high and clean everywhere. Lahaina has occasionally bigger sets. Didn't check anything on the north shore, I just wanted to get out of the wind.

Tuesday 7 25 17 morning call

Double surf session for me yesterday, the second of which at an easterly exposure that had head high short period waves from Fernanda. Not exactly epic, but better than nothing.

This photo instead was taken by Harry Wievel Saturday (the rest of his album contains plenty pics of the race). The sail is a 2.7 KS3, the boom is an alu kids boom, the mast is 310 and I'm loving the light weight of the rig. Going back to my regular rig for traditional wave sailing will be hard.


3am significant buoy readings
South shore
SW
4.2ft @ 10s from 128° (ESE)

No southerly energy at the outer buoys other than the reported one that Pat Caldwell describes like this:
Strong trades in the SE Pacific south is expected to be the dominant summer background surf this week. The primary southern hemisphere mid latitude sources for Hawaii summer surf have been dormant in recent weeks.
Check the webcams for size and conditions. I will do that from the easterly exposure I surfed yesterday (which could easily be onshore) and compare to choose my morning session spot.

North shore
Pauwela
4.5ft @ 8s from 63° (ENE)
That's a decent direction for Maui's north shore, Hookipa will have blown out windswell.

Wind map at noon shows some easterly trades and those usually end up being pretty strong and gusty.

North Pacific shows a well oriented windswell fetch and a small west fetch associated with the southern flank of typhoon Noru. Here's how Pat Caldwell describes this configuration.
Typhoon Noru near 25°N, 155°E 7/23-24 has had a slow jog toward the east as it undergoes the fujiwara spin with a weaker cyclone to its north. This motion is favorable for producing swell for Hawaii. However, it is a low-end typhoon with a compact fetch aimed towards Hawaii at a distance over 2500 nm. In addition,the direction is partially shadowed on Oahu by Niihau and Kauai. Small surf from 270-275 degrees is possible locally for select westerly exposures on Oahu filling in Friday and peaking Saturday.
He put 1f 16 and 2f 14 from the W for Friday and Saturday, while Surfline only indicates 1f 12s for Sunday. I tend to agree with the latter, we'll see.


South Pacific only shows a fetch way down SW and I have no knowledge of how much we'll receive from that position. My guess is very little.


The rain monster is now north of Kauai and yesterday it spared us (not the north shore of Oahu though). It was a pretty muggy day anyway, but today it should be back to the trades kinda weather.


Last, but not least, here's a comparison of the long term Surfline forecast (available only to subscribers) between my favorite Indo spot (left) and Maui's south shore (right). I wanted to go mid/end August, but, seen the continuing of the small waves conditions here, I've been asking myself what I am waiting for and today I might instead book a ticket for as early as tomorrow. Obviously, you'll learn from the blog if I do.

7am hookipa has semi clean short period waist to belly high waves

Monday 7 24 17 morning call

Fun windfoiling afternoon session for me yesterday, the wind was perfect until it got too light. No photo of the day, so here's one from Fred Pompermayer that shows Ryan Hipwood at Teahupoo in a flash illuminated water cave.


5am significant buoy readings
South shore
SW
2.3ft @ 12s from 166° (SSE)

That's the only southerly energy reading I could find at the outer buoys (it shows up intermittently also at the W buoy). Still much better than nothing, but the problem is the southerly wind that this morning is ruining the usually pristine conditions in Lahaina. Here's a snapshot from the webcam, too bad that was a chest high set.



North shore
Pauwela
3.6ft @ 7s from 64° (ENE)

Hilo
4.7ft @ 9s from 76° (ENE)

Mokapu
4.2ft @ 7s from 57° (ENE)

Very small windswell reading at Pauwela, Fernanda wasn't able to boost it. I will post a beach report from Hookipa later, but it should be pretty small, but, for once, pretty clean .

Wind map at noon shows the light southerly flow caused by the Fernanda's remnants.


North Pacific continues to show only the windswell fetch. Actually there's a tiny W one, but I don't think it will send us much. Models agree. There actually is a west swell in the Surfline forecast, but that's only in a couple of weeks, so definitely not from today's fetch.


South Pacific shows a fetch only way down SW, but I don't think we'll get much from that far. Models agree again.


The satellite picture shows a bit of a rain monster developing just north of us. Check the animation at link n.6 of GP's meteo websites list, it's quite remarkable how quickly the thing grew.


Plenty rain offshore.


PS. Sorry, I just found out that yesterday's photo from Koki Beach in Hana wasn't from the day before, but from a week ago.

7am hookipa is horrible.

Sunday 7 23 17 morning call

Some days I don't have a photo of the day, some days I have a bunch from different sources. After my early morning delightful longboard session in Lahaina, the highway was closed for an hour due to an accident on the Pali. That's one good way to kill the time. I went for a nap instead because I wanted to save my energies for later. And that was a very good idea.


In fact, while the Maui Race Series were being held (photo by Jimmie Hepp from this gallery), I went windfoiling at upper Kanaha. I was riding the windswell breakers up there, pretty much on the background of these guys. So much fun (and a little scary) to drop into a wave and have no idea of how the foil is going to react. Big part of the fun of this new sport, is because you got to figure things out pretty much from scratch. As usual, I learned a lot and today I hope to go again.


This photo showing a couple of Maui legends getting ready for a foiled SUP downwinder.  was posted by my friend Tomoko on Facebook. She titled it: Foil fever still going strong in the summer. I think Maui has lots of people who likes to explore new horizon, struggle and get beaten up by nature.
Here's the comment I posted: I was windfoiling on the waves at uppers instead. Well... trying to!So much fun to have to figure that out going through all you wrote. I just chose to minimize the "struggling and getting beaten up by nature part"... :)


And in case you were wondering how the waves were in Hana, here's a shot of Memphis Brown at Koki Beach taken by his dad Jesse.


5am significant buoy readings
South shore
W
2.8ft @ 12s from 142° (SE)

That's the only indication of southerly energy I could see at the outer buoys, the webcams will be key to determine size and conditions. I'm not going this morning since I work at 9 and couldn't get up early enough. I windfoiled 2 hours without the harness yesterday and I'm quite beat up this morning.
There we go, I caught a shoulder high bomb for you guys. But the minus low tide at 9am will definitely kill the size a bit.


North shore
Pauwela
4.1ft @ 9s from 83° (E)

Hilo
5.2ft @ 9s from 88° (E)

Those are the numbers of the Fernanda-reinforced windswell at the buoys, the true direction and size and the ones at Hilo, and that means that Hookipa is a bit sheltered. Stay tuned for a beach report, I'm not going to Lahaina, but I'm definitely going to Hookipa later.


Wind map at noon shows extremely light wind. This model is being quite off lately, let's see what happens today.


North Pacific only shows the windswell fetch.


No fetches of any consequences in the South Pacific.


We finally see Fernanda in the satellite close-up. Actually, we don't because the center of counterclockwise circulation is where I drew the F and the clouds completely dissipated there. The ones north of it just formed in the last few hours. Rain or shine, should be another stunning day.