It was going off!

After a poor early summer (for me anyway) the opportunity finally arose for scoring some sizeable waves. Sunday's forecast called for a rising swell, peaking sometime in the evening. With some luck, we hoped to catch the rise in the early morning.

The predawn recon at Lina's was very disappointing, with seemingly zero swell coming in. We were ready to cut our losses and head to Diamond Head, but instead decided to check out Q-Tips just in case. So stoked that we did.

Pulling into the parking lot, we saw the outside break firing well overhead with only three guys out. But the amazing thing was that the winds, which were supposed to kick up, were actually very light. We couldn't have asked for much better conditions.

Though a bit inconsistent, the surf was going off. Solid five foot plus Haw'n on the sets, sometimes reeling off for well over 100 yards.

All the boys were together again. So fun to hassle each other and share the stoke at the same time. Makani and Rich took to the surf backside, but didn't stay long--instead opting to bailing early and checking out another surfspot. In that short time, they got their verbal jabs in, along with some wicked slashes.

Buddy was especially on fire, snagging some deep barrels and big turns. Despite riding his tiny shortboard among a slew of longboarders, Buddy caught more than his share of quality waves. Da buggah goes off and I got the pics to prove it!

As for me, I had a solid session too. After recent frustrations with small-wave sessions and cybersparring, it was a very welcomed relief. Most of my rides were balls-to-the-walls speed runs, just racing down the line trying to get to the end section. Got a couple of sweet verandas on some set waves, and boosted a big air on another in the closeout.

After so many sessions out there, it may come as a surprise that it was my first on a sponge. I always knew that it was doable, but it usually is way too choppy to make it functional. This time, the wind kept at bay long enough to savor the long, quick walls.

After four grueling hours of water time, I finally dragged myself out. Q-tips and sponges work nicely together after all.

Rainbow Rich

Buddy, 1 of 4

Buddy, 2 of 4

Buddy, 3 of 4

Buddy, 4 of 4

Aloha from Paradise,