"I gotta go to the bathroom now!"

Against the Internet marine information, I decided to do a recon mission to the North Shore to see if the supposed swell had materialized. I was greeted with perfectly calm winds, no crowds and... anklesnapper-sized waves. Bad call.

Bud was busy oversleeping, but my coworker, Jimmy, was up to surfing. We decided to instead target Diamond Head. After 45 minutes of more driving, I found it to be blown and crossed up. Damn!

Buzzed Jimmy again and we decided to "settle" for the (Ala Moana) Beach Park. Time was a'wasting so we decided to just surf there no matter what. Good thing we did.

The waves were smallish, mostly chest-high. However, conditions were nice, and more surprisingly, the crowd was pretty mellow. I think the continuous run of small, but fun waves on the South Shore over the past couple of weeks had made most surfers satiated and happy. There were some decent pickings on the inside for some fun peelers. Good vibes all around.

Real soon, I noticed this loudly dressed longboarder in the lineup. Cracked me up when I realized it was my friend Jimmy, wearing a bright, color-uncoordinated rash guard and shortie.

Jimmy and I go way back, but we haven't surfed together as much as we'd like. He's a true character that is rediscovering his love for surfing. (Unlike me) No ego trips or posing on his part--he's just out there to have fun.

We took turns shooting each other with my disposable water cam, and even traded boards for a little while. It was real fun using his rockerless tanker, if only for a few rides. Haven't driven a longboard in months.

Much too quickly, the wind picked up and it was time for me to leave. We told each other that we should do it again, and I went on my merry way.

Surfing with Jimmy the Clown is always refreshing. Reminds me that surfing should not be about profiling and intense competition--it's all about fun.

Aloha from Paradise,