Was about to bail out of the house when my wife says something about a tsunami?! Checked online real quick, saw that only a foot or two in Hawaii and hitting around 7:45 ish. sh!t, I'm curious, checked my usual and no one in the lot except some tourists. Chilled, listened to music, burned a few, saw around 8:30 that water drained out 100 feet or so which was pretty cool but as far as incoming surge? I don't know. How do you tell with a meaty swell?
No one out in the main area, I assessed it for a while and knew where I wanted to surf. Kinda wanted to not be the only one out but people started filtering in. Was a really great peak, just dishing up grinding lefts. I usually hedge my bets on here and call it solid OH but today, no bones about it, was legit DOH. And as tide dropped, really thick with a lot of grunt behind it. So naturally I was on a 6'7".
Watched two guys paddle out in the channel and get dragged north and absolutely chewed by shorebreak. Took my cue from that and walked 100 feet south. So savvy and yet shorebreak came out of nowhere and I was dealt with annoyance of plowing through a dozen of those but worked out as I made it from there to outside as clean as clean gets. So worried I was going to get mowed but I timed it well. Picked off a good left right off the bat, a big turn, and out the back, also untouched. Fucking miraculous since it's a huge playing field. Was a great way to start a sesh as was kind of wave you dream about and that was first one out the gate.
Waves had such a good push and I do paddle that 6'7" well but huge, long drops going so fast on that board. It was an oeste session where was out only about an hour and a half. But got a good solid 10+ waves in that time, combined with painful paddles, was not too bad. Stupidly took first wave of one set and compounded stupidity by cutting back into it and going with it until petered out. Actually almost made it back out clean but meat of set (it had to be a 15 wave set) reared and I took the meanest one 10 feet in front of me. I tried to duck dive it
and that hurt. Long, deep holddown, barely got up before next one hit me. Other guy out and I were cracking up about our respective beatings. So yeah, 4 of us out within 100 yards or so for all of this and it was sooooooo good. Makes me NOT want to travel - I mean, why? Well, then there's spring. But anyways.
And hey 100% success rate on all waves. But I deeply regret this bomb left where it looked like I was 30 feet too far back and I passed. Watched it from behind and I deeply regret my sacklessness. I should have gone as it was perfect and it was standup barrel whole way across and I hate myself but there is tomorrow for redemption.
Took another large set on the head paddling back out. This time ditched (and I NEVER ditch), still got rolled, and had a moment of horror where I felt a void off my ankle but thank god leash and board held. Laughed with the other guy I was sharing a peak with that, damn man I want to go home!
Fast dropping tide was making already thick waves jack hard and throw. People drop 5 figures for waves like this but man, I was more than happy to grab a relatively benign wave (still solidly OH), do a couple turns, and take as far in as possible before whitewash petered out. Traded story with other 3 guys out (all charging hard) for a few and bailed.
So. Fucking. Stocked.
