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 Buddy falling from the sky Date: February 23, 2003 Words: Went out early to Pipeline. Was about to jump in when this Brazilian ran ahead of me. For some reason, I took it upon myself to be the first in the lineup. A paddle-battle ensued, and I made it out in the lineup first in the semi-dark. Caught the first wave which was a puny shoulder-high bowl. Soon afterwards, about a dozen other Brazilian surfers/bodyboarders flooded the lineup, bringing their intensity. Actually, although they are aggressive, I find them comforting because they are truly passionate and stoked on waveriding. I think I was fortunate because I knew (distant acquaintance) Paulo Barcellos, a former world bodyboarding champ. Just having him acknowledge me in the lineup probably helped. Caught only one decent wave. Took off deep on a small Pipe left and banked tight under the lip. The wave barreled nicely, but the tube contorted into this warping cave. I was able to steer inside the short barrel and come out clean on the other side. Made my session. Soon afterwards, I came out of the water to hook up with Buddy. He was about to jump in at Rocky Point, so I joined up with him, deciding to play water photographer with a new plexiglass rig he had (complete with toy camera). Jack also joined us. The surf actually looked pretty heavy, with a pretty consistent swell pushing through with grinding rights (seemed bigger and more consistent than when I was out at Pipe earlier). Unfortunately, it was very cloudy pretty much ruining any opportunity for clean, sunny shots. I made the most of it, though, watching for patches of clear sky and timing my photos accordingly. When it was cloudy, I stole out to the peak and snagged a couple of the sets away from the crowd. Got worked more than a few times by the punchy waves, but I think I got away pretty easy. Pictures came out decent, although this camera setup would not be practical for the way we take pictures while surfing.
Aloha from Paradise,  |
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