Unknown scores one

Another friend from alt.surfing came to town and wanted to hook up for a surf. This time, it was Drew from Santa Cruz.

After circling around the block a couple of times in Waikiki, I finally found his hotel (you’d think a local would know the area). Drew was a kinda big guy with a big board--9' 6” to be exact. He was in town to attend a local shaper’s wedding, and of course wanted to catch a few while here.

Well, the tiny south swell was diminishing, so I figured our best bet was at Diamond Head. We found some shoulder-high stuff out there, and went for it.

I didn’t realize it before, but Drew has roots in the islands, growing up in the tough Waimanalo area. So all the local breaks were familiar to him--even Lighthouse.

We went out and snagged a few. Surf wasn’t all that great, but we made the most of it. I actually enjoyed talking story about Santa Cruz, trying to see if my perception of the place was accurate.

After a few hours, we decided to go. Unfortunately, the outgoing tide had made the inside reef super shallow. We both had to gingerly tiptoe across it to get to the inside channel.

At the top of the bluff, Drew realized that he got cut from the reef. Looking at his foot, he found that there was a piece of coral embedded inside. He carefully withdrew this small piece, getting slightly bloodied while performing his operation.

Jamba Juice was the next stop, getting some refreshments to reenergize us after the slight workout.

All in all, I had a fun time surfing and talking story with Drew. Wish the surf could have been better, but such is life.

Aloha from Paradise,