Blake pulling back

Part I

Paddling out to micro-Pipe by the light of a half-moon, we were blown away by how lucidly clear the water was. You could see small pockets of luminance (probably sand) in the coral.

One other nut joined us in the dark--found out it was none other than SA sponger Dean Seppings (see the lead graphic on my website). The four of us had the place to ourselves for the better part of an hour, and our solitude made us stupid as we clowned around in the small tubelets.

Even as the crowd picked up, we continued being loud and having fun. Jerry, Blake and I all took off on one wave, and Blake ended up getting aced out in the middle. Dean kept pleading for "just one at Backdoor", in his unique SA accent. I pulled out a disposable camera and shot one of Jerry while I was riding backwards on my board. Even managed to do a rollo with that stupid camera in my teeth!

Dean eventually left, popping a great air-reverse on a tiny last wave (wow!). With the surf seemingly on the wane, we decided to head over to Insanities in search of better hunting.

Part II

Somehow, a great sandbar was formed on the inside of the break. For me, it was deja vu, as the wave was a carbon copy of Brennecke's on Kauai, my childhood surf spot. The wave was a little difficult to take off on, then would quickly line up and pitch a crystalline closeout tube. The tumble was very sandy, ending up in waist-deep water. Full-on reminiscing...

I caught a couple of good ones and took some pics mid-ride. Hope the sponge-cam photos come out.

Jerry didn't enjoy it that much. He wasn't too familiar with that type of wave, and was hesitant to push over the edge. Blake hooked up with an old friend and ended up talking story a bit.

But eventually, the desire for greener pastures led us to Off-The-Wall, where a beautiful peak would form every once in a while.

Part III

Unfortunately, there were a lot of people in the lineup, all fighting for that rare peak. I had a terrible time--shoulda' known better.

Had a run-in with a "wide body": he dropped in on me twice, and we bumped rails once. The guy was hanging with the legendary Boogie-Man, so I guess he felt untouchable out there. I don't know if I'm mellowing or not, but I didn't think the puny waves were worth fighting over, and just kept paddling back without confronting the offender.

Rode one in sitting backwards on my board. Overall, it was a mixed session, with some good rides between lulls. Unfortunately, one bad episode can really ruin the stoke of an otherwise fun day.

Aloha from Paradise,