Me, turning (photo courtesy Buddy)

Dawned it to Pipe. Waves about 3-5' Haw'n with fairly clean conditions. I did not fare well on my bodyboard, especially with the crowd. Caught a few tubelets at Pipe, and got a junky one at Backdoor.

Left the water early to hook up with Buddy and Rich, who were out at Himalayas. Paddled out there for the first time--always exciting to try a new spot out for the first time. It was obvious the place needed a big swell, and the declining waves made for very inconsistent conditions.

Still, patience was rewarded with some really fun lefts that reformed nicely on the inside shelf. I scored a couple of really long rides in the deep blue water. Buddy and Rich did likewise.

After an especially long wait, and a surprisingly increasingly crowded lineup, we decided to hit it towards the Laniakea/Holtons areas, which seemed to be catching the smaller waves. I paddled straight to Holtons, which had some pretty big takeoffs, then no wall at all to work afterwards. Still, it was fun taking the drop.

After four grueling hours in the water, it was time to head home. Caught a really small one at Laniakea and paddled the rest of the way in. Fun sesh, but uneventful.

Aloha from Paradise,