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#

Dust off Your Guns, It's Winter in Hawaii!

The winter season showed it’s face today on the North Shore of Oahu. The predicted swell lived up to the hype as Waimea Bay came to life. The large swells were maxing out most of the north shore surf breaks.

Unless you had a jet ski or some crazy kohones, Waimea Bay was one of the few “Surfeable” waves on offer. With wave heights ranging from 15-25 foot faces, it took some courage and confidence to charge these waves.

Some surfers, like myself, live for these sessions. The thrill of pushing your limits and experiencing a blood pumping adrenalin rush is why year after year surfers flock to Waimea Bay. When the high surf warnings are posted and surf forecasts are calling for 12-18 foot Hawaiian style surf, it’s time to wipe the dust off your big wave gun and get out a fresh bar of wax because it’s on!

Butterflies fill your stomach as you paddle out and get into position. The first big set that stacks on the horizon nearly provokes a heart attack as the pack paddles out in a flurry to greet the waves.

Once in position, 6 + guys swing there boards around towards shore and start paddling as hard as they can. An assortment of grunting noises can be heard, similar to a battle cry. If you don’t really want it, you better get the hell out of the way.

Throughout my two sessions today (check out photos here), I caught 3 amazing rides that got my heart going from the start looking straight down a 25 foot face. One wave really sticks out from my morning session, there was a big set coming in with at least two solid waves. I was sitting deep and the first one popped up and jacked right in front of me. At first I thought, “Not a good idea,” but Kalani Chapman and another respected local both let it drift by and I told myself, “I gotta go!”

I swung around and scratched hard, jumped to my feet and used every inch of my 9’11 as I glided straight down the face. Mid way down I prayed the nose of my board wouldn’t pearl and send me cartwheeling. That was the first test passed.After the steep drop, I had no angle to ride the wave face and went straight for shore.


This set me up perfectly for the “Rodeo,” something I look forward to every Waimea session. It happens when a massive wall of white water explodes (hopefully) right behind you just as you lose momentum from the high speed drop. This places you in a precarious situation because you have a huge mountain of water moving faster than you trying to gobble you up.



If the whitewater bucks you off you experience what it’s like to do underwater carwheels. On this particular wave, I thought my chances at the rodeo were slim. I assumed my rodeo stance and braced for impact. A sheet of water exploded over my head from behind. It looked as though I was watching a shower of white water come down in front of and on top of my head.

“Yeeehaaaw!” Somehow I survived round 1 and the pulse sent me accelerating again. Round 2 was much more mellow and the 3rd round did me in. At least now I was out of the impact zone and stoked! I started laughing at the silliness. The euphoric feeling, the adrenaline, the giddiness…It’s what we live for.

Despite the rumors of fewer big wave events this season, due to La Nina, big wave surfers across Oahu have already shaken off their pre-season jitters and washed away the dust accumulating on thier big wave guns.

Look for more uncontrollable outbursts of laughter, fist pumps, screams, and a variety of other claims to arise as the north shore winter season heats up.