Death Before Dishonor: The Volcom Pipeline Pro

The wave at the Banzai Pipeline has been described in many ways; runaway train, fire breathing dragon, precision guillotine, compression chamber, meat grinder, iron hammer, Neptune's revenge, collapsing building, surfer's graveyard, uncoiling serpent, liquid pile driver, and other colorful, evocative phrases. More »

Shark! (Part II) ... Shark Tourism in Hawaii

Rated 5.0 Stars

When the waves get over 8' on the North Shore, I surf Puaena Point. It's a D-list spot that for some bathymetric reason, tames down swell size so that aged geezers like me can still hit the surf without drowning. PP sits on the north edge of the Haleiwa Boat Harbor channel and the wave breaks right along it. So, when you're sitting in the lineup between sets, you see every imaginable type of ocean craft going out and coming in. More »

They Paved Paradise

Local folks often remark on the unsightly Honolulu skyline and the urban sprawl that continues its advance throughout Oahu and the state. For every foreign owned luxury condo or hotel being erected, there seem to be ten strip malls popping up. For every opulent mansion, two hundred affordable homes and condos are slapped together, and on... and on... and on. Where you might be wondering, does it all end? More »

What Happened?

Rated 5.0 Stars

February started out with a lot of promise. The Patagonia Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic got one of the best Pipe days all year. It was 4 feet in the morning and rose to 6-8 feet midday. It was sunny with calm winds and a perfect west organized swell. More »

Ripped Strategy - Neal and the 2006 Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic

I don't want to trivialize these terrible things, but we've been slammed with so much lousy news, I thought I'd look back at an amusing anecdote of mine. Sometimes you just need to get back to the source - the pure act of waveriding. More »

One for the Ages: The Slater/Irons Rivalry

Rated 5.0 Stars

On December 14, 2006, one of the best ever pro surfing final went down at the Rip Curl Pipeline Masters. And I missed it completely! Well, I shouldn't say completely. I was fortunate enough to shoot a few of the earlier heats that morning. But surf conditions were deteriorating and diminishing rapidly, while my workload at the office was rising by the second. More »

Our Ocean, Land and Sky

Rated 4.5 Stars

There's a lot about Hawaii that annoys us; insane traffic, escalating crime rates, the cost of living, overcrowded everything, homelessness, rising property taxes, etc. But as far as climate and culture go, we're all so very fortunate to live here... very fortunate. More »

One Man's Junk is Another Man's Cause

On June 1st, 2008, and with relatively little fanfare, two intrepid men, Marcus Eriksen and Joel Paschal, set sail from Long Beach on a voyage from California to Hawaii. Utilizing the fuselage of a Cessna airplane as their cabin, salvaged masting materials, lashing, nets, and 15,000 plastic bottles donated by local high schools and a recycling center, the two sailors and some volunteers designed and fabricated within 3 months, a minimalized 30' pontooned craft they christened "Junk Raft"... More »

Turbulence at Turtle Bay

On March 17, 2007, about 200 people representing various local groups gathered in a peaceful demonstration at the Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore. The loose coalition was unified by the collective concern for an upcoming development by Kuilima Resort Company, an affiliate of Oaktree Capital Management, LLC (a self-proclaimed "vulture capital" company). More »

In His Honor; the 2009 Duke's Oceanfest

Rated 5.0 Stars

Duke Paoa Kahanamoku and his long, distinguished register of athletic accomplishments stand tall in the annals of sports history. Perhaps even more significant than his Olympic gold medals, world swimming records, introduction of surfing to the world, and other amazing feats, is the fact that Duke served Hawaii dutifully as its international ambassador of Aloha. Buffalo Keaulana said it best in a recent television special about Kahanamoku; "Duke was a Hawaiian." More »

Embedded at the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing

Rated 4.0 Stars

Unreal, how COOL is my job?!!! After this winter surf season, pretty darn cool, I'd say. I was lucky enough to experience the 2009 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing from the inside after Oceanic Cable agreed to do live broadcasts of the three jewels; the Reef Hawaiian Pro @ Haleiwa, the O'Neill World Cup @ Sunset Beach, and the Billabong Pipeline Masters. More »