SURF OBSERVATIONS"Never thought I'd see the day" -- 4/8/04 Date: April 8, 2004 Words: Decided to take some leave and catch some of the remnants of a big swell before a front came through the island chain. Buddy was coming later, so I decided to jump in and shoot the women's bodyboarding contest at Pipeline. Conditions were pristine in the morning, although the waves didn't have the punch in normally does. Looked like there were multiple swell directions, with somewhat peaky conditions prevailing. Got some decent shots, unfortunately I had some bad film that screwed up some of shots.
After I got in, I found that Bud still had a few minutes before he got to the North Shore, so I jumped in at Ehukai sandbar for a few minutes. It was about shoulder-high and kind of currenty. Nothing special, but it was somewhat fun. Saw Mike Stewart in the water, who was filming bodysurfer Mark Cunningham. Mike smiled at me and shook his head, saying, "I never thought I'd see the day." Of course, he was referring to me being on a surfboard. I could only stutter that I was still a committed bodyboarder, but he jokingly disagreed. Later I met up with Bud at Laniakea. It was overhead and crumbly by then with a surprising west swell. The rip on the inside over the low tide reef was surprisingly strong. Had fun on the shortboard, tagging a few good late-takeoffs, but I had to opt out early and get back to work. As I was heading in, Mike's words were still ringing in my ears. But you know what? Even I myself never thought I would have the skills to ride a shortboard. But deep inside, I know I'll always be a bodyboarder. Aloha from Paradise, 
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