Aloha PPK. I really appreciate the pics and memorial added to my little post here. I'm not worthy, <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/bowdown1.gif" alt="" /> but, I hope it stays around forever.
I too wish I could've been around a bit longer for the paddleout and memorial. I was there the day he passed, and was on my way to the airport, back to my mainland "home" when word was first aired on KONG that Andy passed. I was driving just past Kilauea when I heard, and was in total shock. I almost had to stop my car, and try not to believe it was true. I wanted to stay and try to be there for what I KNEW was going to be a HUGE deal there on the north shore of Kauai and Hanalei.
Andy was looked up to and respected by so many on Kauai, most people elsewhere wouldn't even know. I've only caught occasional glimpses of him and Bruce at the Princeville Foodland a couple times, and wanted to say something to him/them, but didn't want to be a "haole kook" about it. I did get to surf with both Andy, Bruce, Sunny and Ben at Trestles a few years back during a hurricane swell, when they were warming up for the WCT pro contest that was eventually held on a following epic So-Hemi swell the next few days. It was well overhead the day we surfed, but a bit too peaky/shorter period for epic Trestles compared to a thumping lined up So-Hemi they had for the contest, but epic in it's own right. I'll always remember that day. Andy was getting his share and ripping them apart like it was little play waves. I have a story from back in the 70's at Malibu that's related to "Uncle Ben" Aipa (as I guess he's known by there for a while now, I suppose), Buttons, and Mark Liddell, but that's for another day.
As I mentioned in one of the early posts, Andy will always be remembered as the epitome of a surfer known to us mortals as a "charger". You look up the word in the dictionary, and his picture should be there. Grace under pressure, similar to Gerry Lopez in style and ease in incredibly terrifying conditions to most of us. He made surfing Big Pipeline, Teahupoo, Cloudbreak, Wiamea and others look too damn easy. I know he surfed the breaks on Kauai's north shore in truly hairball/scary size and conditions and ruled (along with Titus). That's the mark of a truly great surfer, making the hairball and difficult look way too easy.
He will be missed by so many. There's going to be a big hole in the pro and free surfing world that will be hard to fill for a long, long time.
Andy, surfing will be a bit less exciting without you here.
Aloha <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wave2.gif" alt="" />
