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 Buddy, making the drop; me, getting the shot Date: January 26, 2003 (Superbowl Sunday, XXXVII)
Words: The swell peaked the day before, but we all knew the North Shore would still be quite big. Headed west and once again scanned the coastline looking for a good place to ride. Once again found that "Stinky's" was the call, looking quite good. The initial crew in the lineup was all our acquaintances, with friends inviting friends. I did my share, asking visiting alt.surfer Tom Keener and his friend Nate to join us. Tom and Nate were here for the upcoming bodysurfing championship at Pipeline. The surf had its moments, with some waves lining up and bowling nicely. The bigger waves were soft, but some waves doubled up nicely, especially on the inside. Conditions were as good as it gets. I had a decent session catching my share of waves. Launched a fun aerial on one wave and got two good bowls on another. My camera wasn't doing so well, with the housing getting some serious condensation inside. I ended up constantly have to lick the plastic in front of the lens, heating it up to keep the fog off. Tom and Nate really enjoyed the surf, even though the wave may not have been too conducive to bodysurfing. Unfortunately, they were still at a disadvantage for positioning and takeoff and got iced a few times. Some things never change. The rest of the crew was doing well, carving up the walls. I remember seeing Buddy get a really good 1.5 "Buds" wave where he did a sweet snap high in the hook. On one of his last waves, I set up inside to shoot his brother Rich. Buddy took a steep one on the shoulder, burning his brother in the process. I shifted focus to Buddy and got a shot of him free-falling right in front of me. I had total confidence that Buddy would nail the drop, and he did, coming within a couple of feet of my head. Although I was free and clear of Buddy, the wave bore down on me, putting me through the rinse cycle and actually blasting both of my swim fins off. I was a bit rattled, but everything was OK. Sometimes you have to take dirty lickings to get the shot.
Aloha from Paradise,  |
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