The worst ever Northshore winter turned into an epic Spring. It was like that day after day and just when you thought it was going flat it would just pulse again and again and again. Most days were in the 3-5 ft range, but there were certainly a few 6 and 8 foot sets coming in here and there. One day even made it into the 12 ft range.
After the worst summer and winter on record, Hawaii surfers were making the most of it and I don't think any of us ever appreciated the waves like we did these last couple months especially when we got it all to ourselves, no contests, no pros, just the regulars. Pipe was perfection and Rockys was a playground. Conditions were just perfect all day long. Glassy, no wind and killer waves coming out of the west. You wait for single days like that, but we had weeks of it. Even the flat days were well received since surfers actually got to the point where we were so tired we needed a break.
In the last week however we finally woke up from the dream, a final swell persisted at Pipe with strong gusty trades, a mix of N in the swell and a bit of backwash which was a far cry from the perfect waves we had been experiencing for so long.
Ironically, before I paddled out that morning I mentioned that we made it through a winter without losing anyone at Pipe, but that same afternoon, Hawaii lost one of its own. Bodyboarder Joshua Nakata got caught inside on a freak set which was much bigger than the 4-6 foot waves which were coming in on average that day. Friends said that they did not see him come up for nearly 15 minutes after the set. I think I heard somwhere that doctors had concluded there was a blow to the head which was the cause of death. Joshua was a 23 years old Millilani man who worked for UPS and lived to surf. Its so terrible to lose someone in the surf, but it is always comforting to know they died doing what they loved. RIP Joshua!
After Joshua's death our marathon of surf came to an abrupt end and we are looking at two solid weeks of small, north swells with breezy trades. It was kinda strange to be surfing and surfing such perfect waves and then suddenly its over, another Northshore season has passed. The lifeguards just missed our great run of surf by about a week and had to run in 1-3 ft Ehukai because of the North swell but they still seemed to be having a great time.
Linda Lingle held a public talk at Kahuku High school to clarify the states proposal to purchase Kawela Bay. It was a huge turnout with tons of moving testimony from people representing all different walks of life. It seems likely that the state will move forward with this project and the community is surely encouraged by the efforts of our government to protect the people and keep the country country.
Speaking of government. local Boy Barack Obama has been struggling with some soundbytes made by his Chicago Christian pastor Jeremiah Wright which have been played over and over on all the news stations as unAmerican. He then however addressed the nation with a speech on race relations which some say will go down in the history books. Despite the controversy, he still leads the race for the democratic nominee to become our next president.
A cool Funk band played at Breakers this month called Family Dinner.
House of Flys is promoting Hawaii's 1st eco-conscious action sports trade show event in conjunction with the Hawaii Big Boys show at the Blaisdell arena. The line up includes special guest Christian Asoi along with skate performances, B-boy performances, bikini contests, car displays, motorcycle exhibits and a lot of action.
Mark Healey is making a fast recovery from his knee fracture. He didn't have to undergo surgery, is out of his wheelchair and healing faster than expected.
Bob Kakeikau's aka "Big Bob" or "Hawaiian Bob" passed away last month. We celebrated his life on March 8 in a big circle outside Pipe. It was a beautiful, incredible ceremony. The waves which had been sizeable for 6 weeks almost nonstop, dropped back into the 2-3 foot range which not only allowed a huge pack to paddle outside Pipe and form a circle, but was just as how Bob would have loved to surf it. Conditions were as good as it gets, it was so glassy you could barely see the waves near glowing Sunset.
Bob was a true ambassador of Aloha; and you could feel his spirit in the crowd that honored him. Bob has been a fixture on the Northshore since as far back as I myself and most people can remember, he was known for bringing people and cultures together and taking the time to talk story. I hope his spirit can live on in all of us.
by Lane Davey
