My last sesh before my trip was a forgettable one.

On Friday, the surf was pumping at ten feet. Saturday was expected to be in the 4-6' plus range. The buoys were quite stable in the 9', 13 s, so it looked really good for the dawn patrol.

My buddy, Jerry, was a no-show in the morning, so I soloed it to the North Shore--I knew I'd hook up with some friends there. Turned out I'd meet a bit more friends than I expected.

The surf turned out to be relatively small--an inconsistent 2-4'. High expectations can be a real bummer. But it was real clean, so I dove in.

The Women's World Bodyboarding Championship was still on hold, so a lot of contestants soon joined the already building crowd. When given the chance, these ladies can shred--like local girl Nora Neal, probably the best drop-knee in women's bodyboarding.

Other notables in the lineup included: Westside boy Keoni Watson, Bud and HPAC Tour ripper Davey-Boy Gonsalves, ASP Women's contendor and part-time bikini model Rochelle Ballard and current world longboard champ Bonga Perkins. I've known these "kids" for over six years, and it's really nice to see some of them realize their dreams of making a living in surfing.

Davey-Boy was especially impressive. I watched him as he took off deep going right at Backdoor. A few dozen yards from the takeoff point, an eight foot fan of water would be thrown skyward. But even Davey-Boy had to deal with the intensity of the small-wave crowd of visiting and local surfers.

As for me, it was a lesson in frustration. A declining swell, increasing crowd and my diminishing talent equated to a low wave count. I felt more like a buoy than a bodyboarder.

Did manage to catch a small (shoulder to head high) peak at Backdoor early on. After bottom-turning, I just sat in the hook, propping up with an arched back. I did the above-the-head look to see the cascading lip peel over my legs, then kicked out.

Bailed after only an hour and a half of water time, and headed home.

What was it that made the session so uninspiring? No bro to share it with? Overexpectations? The crowd? Maybe a little of each. Or maybe because I was leaving the Islands and my family in the middle of winter.

Oh well, gotta remember that I'll be back soon, and there's always another swell coming over the horizon.

Aloha from Paradise,