I Put Down the Surfboard and Took Out the Sailboat

February 20th, 2011
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More Pipeline Action Saturday Evening

Pipeline session in the afternoon. So much to learn still. I was in the right mindset to surf Pipe and it sure was goiiiing off. Perfect conditions and rising 4-7 foot swell, packed out there though. Sat on Pipe side of reef for first 30 minutes and just watched the hustle go down almost getting in the way a couple times. I finally adjusted to Pipe mode and decided to paddle to the other side of the peak and just sit deep similar to my Waimea approach. I got my 3 waves over there near the 3rd and 4th house Waimea side of Jamie O'Brien's.

My first wave was sick. It was a left that lined up ruler edge style into the Pipe bowl. I dropped in and knew that if I slowed down enough, I could get a tube somewhere. I did a drawn out bottom turn and came back into the pocket and the end section threw over me for a solid quick high line fast tube. I came into it high and shot through ending low and a little off balance, almost thought I was going down, but I made it...yewwww!

Stoked! I paddled around the lineup and got back into position. Another chunky wave lined up across and I wanted it, but as I was dropping in I saw a body boarder last second already riding. I turned off and barely made it back out before the set unloaded! Close one.

My second wave was a freight train left going top to bottom. I committed and somebody was hooting. I barely made the drop and tucked under the lip without much speed. It was like slow-motion trying to get my balance and pull into the barrel. Luckily I made it under the lip and then got exploded in the barrel. I went back over the falls but it was cushiony and the reef was full of water when I came back over. I was a little shaken and went back out for one more.

I was shadowing Tamayo Perry to his inside and realized a strategy to sit deep and wait for the bombs to come through and then be deep enough that others won't drop in. This was working for me on the inside on the smaller ones. The last one that came was similar to the previous. A 6 footer that let me in nice and easy. I pumped once and setup for the barrel. From that moment on I knew it was going to be a massive closeout pit. So I got in there and was going mach speed, got some travel time and then jumped off. I was going so fast and the force of the crashing lip helped me penetrate right through the back of the wave. Yeah! I caught the white wash in and paraded up to the showers gleaming on the inside. After a session at Pipe, I am happy to walk away with a healthy body and an intact surf board, and the few barrels to marinate on in my memory bank is an awesome bonus.

Breaking Down Barriers at Pipeline

Today was a first for me. My first time paddling out to Pipeline in the 5-9 foot range. Second reefers were coming through and occasionally cleaning up first reef sitters. I looked at the surf around 12:00 and wasn't motivated. Pipe had a few incredible waves spitting out their guts, but the short period swell mixing in with the light Kona winds made for some stormy looking conditions.

Kurt was determined to get out there and I opted for a nap. I awoke with a firing desire to get out there. The time was right, I had a feeling the conditions were improving. Intimidating! Kind of like surfing Waimea Bay for the first time. You just have to go! So I went! Just as I was about to paddle out a big set unloaded through second reef. I waited for the waves to settle and made the dash.

The lineup was spread out, with surfers sitting all over first reef out onto second reef. It was a wide playing field with waves breaking really hard on the first reef and bigger on the second reef. I sat inbetween the two and tried to setup a map of the reef and how the waves were breaking. I observed the surfers, John John and Mark Healey sat deep on the inside at first reef. Probably having flashbacks to the Backdoor Shootout because the crowd was so light and not many where sitting as deep as they were. No one as committed.... Derek Ho and Kohl Christensen sat at second reef, and caught some nice cruisey bombs without any barrels though. On my 7'0 Rawson, I opted to stay on the first reef and I moved into position.

I had to duck under a few capping through second reef and swinging wide. They weren't so bad, but it's kind of sketchy when you think about getting caught and tossed into the impact zone. Anyways, you have to put that out of your mind. I noticed how close to the inside John John stayed. Even when the sets were capping way outside, he held his ground and usually caught a wave before the set detonated or the set would back off and double up right where he was providing the stage for a standup backside tube riding demo by the Da Hui Backdoor Shootout Champion.

You could tell a good barrel from the amount of spit it threw at the end section. I saw one inside bowl that spit at both ends backdoor and pipe. One of the coolest waves off the day was a guy that dropped in from almost second reef, he was hauling but, and must have pulled into a huge barrel because the shoreline erupted and people cheered as he exited the wave on the inside.

30 minutes had passed and my wave count was still zero. One wide swinging in-betweener came my way, I swung and made the drop, but no barrel in sight. At least the ice was broken, now I wanted a real one. The sun slithered down, first behind the clouds and then the horizon. The winds went to sleep as the sun set. The crowd was thinning and by now I kind of had it figured out, who really wanted it and who didn't. I thought I did until I went for one and then backed out, with my stomach fluttering with adrenaline. "Not this one."

I went back to the zone and lined up, one wall of water angled towards the inside bowl and I knew this was mine to wrangle with. One guy was deeper and I saw hesitation in his eyes so I went and he backed off. As I dropped in I remember thinking, "No nosediving here!" I made it, recovered a
little and time slowed down as a I saw a perfect cylindrical tube start to form 25 feet in front of me. The glassy tube was an emerald green color. What a sight! I had so much speed as I flew through the barrel section and came out dry. What an experience!

Aloha Update

I recently picked up a part time gig writing for www.alohaupdate.com and the previous 4 posts are published on the website. Stoked on the opportunity! Look for a variety of posts to be coming out related to my standard hawaii adventures and more coverage on a variety of other happenings!

aloha,
Drew

Hawaii’s Kohl Christensen Charges Out of the Underground at Nelscott Reef

Hawaii wasn’t the only place to get slammed by massive waves this past XXL swell. A majority of the swell’s energy was focused towards the West Coast. Perfect wind conditions and gigantic surf put up the green light to run The Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic surf contest held off the coast of Oregon. It has been running for six years now, but this would be the first as a paddle in only event and stop number three on the Big Wave World Tour (BWWT).

The sun was out and the winds were calm allowing for surfers to push themselves to their limits and conquer some of the biggest waves ever surfed at Nelscott Reef. Some wave heights reached 50 feet on the face. Kohl Christensen, from Kailua, Oahu, garnished the win by making some bomb drops.

Christensen has grown out of his label as an ”underground charger” and stepped into the mainstream of big wave surfing. He made his appearance felt at The Eddie this past December and has since been a top contender on the Big Wave World Tour.

The BWWT has a unique judging criteria geared towards rewarding the surfer charging the biggest waves. The finalists of events held in bigger surf will receive more points and this win for Christensen bumped him up to second place in the standings. Other finalist in the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic are as follows in order of 2nd to 6th place, Chris Bertish, Jamie Sterling, Kealii Mamala, Rusty Long, and Peter Mel.

The event also included a women’s exhibition, in which three women surfers, Keala Kennelly, Savannah Shaughnessy, and Mercedes Maidana, showed they could handle big waves too.

Keala took the win and described her experience on theinertia.com, “Once the heat started, the first set came through and cleaned all three of us up. I was held under for a long time. I don’t know if it was the extra weight of the wetsuit or the fact that my body was just emotionally exhausted from crying all night [from the death of friend Andy Irons] , but I finally surfaced and was so happy to have a jet ski there to pick me up. I got dropped out the back right as another set approached. This time I was right in the spot. I turned and stroked into it with my teeth clenched, made the drop, and rode it out. Later, they told me I made history with that wave. I was confused. I had no idea that I was the first woman to surf Nelscott Reef.” The women’s exhibition opened up a new window of opportunity for the future of women’s surfing.

The next stop for the BWWT is Mavericks in California. Look for another gut wrenching, jaw dropping, adrenaline pumping contest to go down between December 1st and February 28th. The 10 time world champ, Kelly Slater, is amped and will be competing in “The Jay at Mavericks Big Wave International.” It’s going to be insane!

Pictures on http://www.alohaupdate.com/2010/11/11/hawaiis-kohl-christensen-charges-out-of-the-underground-at-nelscott-reef/

Kahuku Stand Up Paddle Adventure

In the winter, my focus is on surfing. However, when summer time rolls around and the waves go flat on the north shore, there’s still tons of fun to be had in the ocean. This past summer, one of my goals was to explore the coastline of Oahu under my own paddle power or via wind power in my 14 foot laser.

I came up a little short, but the stories and good times run deep. The following are a series of my adventures frolicking around the north shore, with educational messages that run deeper than fun.

In early July, we explored some new coastline and took advantage of the lighter than normal trade winds. Ryan, Becky, Willie, and I stand up paddled from Malaekahana to Kawela Bay.It’s about an 8 mile paddle and the cool part is the beaches are pretty much desolate.

The adventure started out a bit sketchy as I was trying out stand up paddle fishing. I attached a lure and 20 feet of line to the back of my board. The allure of surfing was too much and I couldn’t resist the urge to catch some waves.

After a wipe out that threw me off the board and sent it in towards shore, I realized my fishing lure, still connected to my board, was like a sharp leash I did not want to be attached too. After a long clumsy swim trying not to lose my hat and paddle, I reconfigured my fishing setup.

Several wipeouts later, the lure was gone. Somewhat of a relief, I was now free to surf without the fear of hooking myself, but disturbed at my lack of forethought and loss of tackle. Becky and Ryan had their fair share of crazy moments as well.

Becky lost her shades and Ryan lost his board to the rocks near shore, which made for a difficult retrieval of both. Becky also got dry-docked on a lone rock 300 yards from shore and had the blood wounds to prove it. Willie on the other hand, came out unscathed with sailor like style.

Stand Up Paddling this stretch is filled with hazards and if you chose to paddle here, make sure you don’t make our mistakes. Wear a leash and steer clear of the rocks. There’s a lot of rip currents, so be aware.

It was great exploring a new area and only seeing a handful of fisherman and a lone kayaker along the way. Unfortunately, the desolate beaches of Oahu usually have many remnants of society.


I went ashore to investigate a green sea turtle nest and noticed the beach was filled with plastics, so I loaded my pockets to the rim with what I could. It churned my stomach to think about how these plastics impact lives beyond our own.

On the east side, the prevailing tradewinds blow it all to shore. Amongst the rubbish I did find a gem in my eyes, an Opihi shell. Something naturally made from solar energy, that will smoothly transition back into the sea.

Later, I found out that I am not the only one realizing this trash heap piling up. There are several organizations working together to keep the beaches clean and the local population of wildlife healthy. A non profit called B.E.A.C.H. , Beach Environmental Awareness Campaign Hawaii, has been doing their part to educate people about the plastic problem and also help clean it up.

If you are interested in volunteering some of your time to keep our beaches clean and animals lively check out B.E.A.C.H. or NOAA’s Hawaii Monk Seal Response Team. You can also head over to our Beach Cleanup section to see the latest news on a cleanup near you.


A simple way to return the favor to the ocean is to leave the beach cleaner than you found it, bend down and pick up some trash. It helps everyone breathe a little easier. Check back to hear more about the Kahuku Beach Cleanup.

HIC Sunset Beach Pro Photos and Recap

Billy Kemper from Paia Maui took home the win at the HIC Pro Sunset Beach. It was an emotional win for Kemper, 20, who dedicated it to Andy Irons and his brother Eric Diaz. On the final day, the sun peeked out in between passing rain and shed light on the younger generation.

Keanu Asing and Alex Smith, who placed 3rd and 4th respectively, surfed on spot throughout the event. Keanu posted one of the highest heat scores of the day,a 9.4. Clay Marzo, 21, had some of the most progressive backside turns of the event, but not enough to get him past the quarters. Jack Perry, 26, had a gouging forehand attack and stomped his way to second place in the finals.




In the end, it was Billy Kemper who was escorted off the beach to the podium. He received a $12,000 check for the win and a chance to surf in the Vans Triple Crown. You could feel the energy of the event culminating at the final moment of the ceremony when Kemper raised his finger high to the sky with Andy Irons and Eric Diaz on his mind.

Check out the photo gallery: http://picasaweb.google.com/dawilkinson83/HICSunsetPro2010#