The Keiki Headache

     About a week ago Evan, Ghent, and I headed up to the north shore.  It was just before the Pipeline Competition so all of the surfing world was here trying to practice for the comp, prove themselves, and piss off the locals.  I hate the Triple Crown because of the congestion it creates in and out of the water.  We stopped at off the wall and watched it for about a half an hour.  There were no body boarders out and literally about a hundred surfers spread out at Off The Wall and Backdoor.  The waves were really good and a couple of the surfers really scored some sick barreling waves.   Not wanting to deal with the crowd we checked log cabins.   It wasn't very good so we ended up heading over to Keiki's even though the last thing i wanted to surf that day was a shore break.  We watched it for about a half an hour because we were chatting with the grom's.  We took a while mainly because Evan was fiddling with his camera.  If you know Evan, you know that when he's trying to figure out settings on his camera he somehow goes deaf and doesn't hear anything you say.  After talking to a brick wall and contemplating whether we were going to surf or not we came to the decision that Ghent would shoot photos while Evan and I try to pull in some heavy close outs.  My first wave pretty much was my best wave of the day.  I lucked out on it because it was one of the cleaner, bigger sets.  When I pulled in the wave pitched over and threw really hard.  I'll always remember that split second being in that room because of how wide and clean the barrel was. You literally could have fit a handicap bus in there.

     Clark Little showed up and if you don't know who that is he is one of the best shore break photographer's from the North Shore.  Not only does he put himself into really sketchy situations he will get the shot doing it.  Sets started to roll in again and I happened to get another one of the bigger sets.  Although I air dropped it I stuck the landing and rode it out till it closed out on me.  Clark captured it all and it was kind of a cool sequence.  It was not the best but I'm still pretty stoked on it.  It also shows me what I can change about my posture and those ridiculous looking face expressions.

  

Photo's by Clark Little

  
     I paddle back out and sets start coming again.  Evan gets the first one but nose dives and gets sucked under the lip of the wave.  I look towards the beach and I can see Ghent chuckle a bit.  Another wave comes and by this time there is foam everywhere from the first wave, a little turbulence in the water, and back wash going back out to sea.  I knew I shouldn't have gone for this wave but hearing Clark yell "going!",  didn't convince me to stop paddling.  I paddled for it and while I was dropping in, the backwash lifted me off the face of the wave and sent me face first into the bottom leaving my board behind.  I face planted hitting my head on the sand and then got thrashed under water.  I grabbed my board still kind of dazed and paddled back out only to get another wave break on my head while i tried to duck dive it.  Somehow my board smacked me right in the nose and one of my fins got ripped off. Exhausted from the situation I went in and through the towel in for the day.

 

Photo's by Clark Little

  
     Evan stayed out for a little longer linking up with Clark Little.  Evan really knows how to surf shore breaks.  His nerve and skill really shine at Keiki's.  The sun was about to set so we piled in my Suzuki Sidekick while checking out the footage Ghent got.  While we drove home my head started to pound and by the time we got home I had one of the most painful headaches I've ever had.   I think I might have had a small concussion.  I asked my roommates for a blessing and don't ask me how he got it but Ted gave me a 800 mg Ibuprofen.  I napped for about two hours and when I woke up my headache was completely gone.  I was stoked because that night was one of my good friends party, and Kawika Kau'i is known to the throw the best dance parties.  I showed up, cut the rug, almost got a seizure from the strobe lights, and chilled with some friends.