Hawaii is a mythical place for surfers and kitesurfers around the world. The great experience I had the first time I went, in 2006, made me come back again and again. Each time, this wonderful place provided me with great and very intense action in the water!
This year was the time to pass those experiences on to others, by leading the Surfin Sem Fim Coaching trip to Oahu— the island that, in my opinion, has the most to offer for the kiters/surfers who have always dreamed about the archipelago.
With a great forecast ahead the anticipation was growing before the trip, and we even had a last minute booking based on that.
On the first day, we took a quick tour to get to see a bit of the “7 mile miracle”, the stretch of coast that has the most famous breaks in the island. Then we got started with a surfing warm up session at Rocky Point… the conditions weren’t the best, but with very few people in the water and a chance to connect with the Hawaiian waters and its power, it was a good way to get things going.
As the day progressed and the forecast lived up to the expectations, the wind started to pick up along with the swell. We had an amazing session in 8ft, with even bigger sets at “Revelations” and “Phantoms” riding our 9 meter kites. It was a very intense kiting session to get the boys’ eyes wide open and the adrenaline rushing.
The next day was even better, with improved wind direction and a slightly smaller swell, making it a little less dangerous. We rode almost all day long at Backyards, the amazing but very challenging spot where many have left kites, bars, boards and skin along the reef. The boys used the coaching briefing information very wisely, and all made the most of their sessions coming back exhausted, but in one piece and with huge smiles on their faces after a classic North Shore day.
After the video review and coaching analysis session that night, everyone was psyched. We knew that the next day would bring us more of the same conditions, and now we just had to put the improvements and coaching tips into practice. That’s exactly what happened, another great day of riding in challenging conditions that allowed us to push our limits a bit further. That night the video review was even more fun, as we could see that the guys were really learning from the day before and were able to put the coaching tips into practice.
The fourth day of the trip was time for some more relaxing conditions. With a dropping swell and switching wind direction, it was a perfect opportunity for us to go to the traditional break of Mokuleia, a smaller and more user friendly right hander— a perfect spot for the boys to lay down some good and more relaxed maneuvers. After the first days at Backyards, the riding at Mokuleia (which is also challenging) was like a walk in the park.
The swell picked up a lot on the next morning and the winds shifted even more… It was time to go back to the roots and search for some good surfing. After driving around the island for a few hours and checking different spots we ended up at Makaha Beach, on the west side of Oahu, one of the birth places of Hawaiian surfing. The conditions did not disappoint, and even though the crowd was quite intense, we were able to catch some perfect waves and drive back to the North Shore with “stoked” written across our faces!
The forecast did not let us down again the next day at Backyards. It was firing again, even bigger and even more lined up. After the relaxing surf day, this was perfect timing for the boys to practice with the experience gained on the first few days. Their energy that was revived and put into use again on another day of epic conditions. We did another long session at the spot, sharing the line up with current world champions Keahi De Aboitz, Moona White, and the very well-known local ripper Reo Stevens. The level was up in every sense.
After that long session we were all pretty much done physically, especially after a week of non-stoping action. During the next couple of days the wind and swell backed off a little bit, and all that was left was fun, small surf to relax a bit and loosen up the arms and nerves.
Like every time I’ve been to the Hawaiian Islands it has provided with me a great deal of amazing experiences. This time was a little different, as I was experiencing it not only for myself, but also sharing my love for that place with others. I was able to share a lot of the techniques and spot knowledge I acquired during those past experiences, and helping my guests to improve fast, not having to make all the mistakes that I made when learning where to go, how to approach the spots, which technique to apply in which conditions… and this is amazingly rewarding. I personally may not have ridden as many waves as I would have if I were there just to enjoy myself. My level of excitement and self satisfaction was even higher, just to able to share all of this with great guys that love the sport and these kinds of experiences as much as I do.
Thanks for this opportunity my brothas, Aloha!