Waimanu Dreamin'

This was the first week in months that Drew, Kati, and myself have been off on the same week. We kicked it off by surfing at a break I have never been to. Drew pointed out the jagged rocks barely sticking out of the water and explained the areas to avoid being stuck. I noticed there was not really a good place to get in/out of the water. He told me to time it and then paddle as hard as I can to avoid being slammed into the rocks. I was feeling a bit nervous because there were some pretty big swells rolling through, breaking in shallow water. After staring at the waves for a few minutes I took a few deep breaths and scampered across the rocks to wait for the right moment to dive in. I barely made it under the first wave as it crashed into the rocky shore. Out of breath from paddling as hard as I possibly could, I made it out unscathed. I hear a WOOO, and then see Drew flying down the face of a wave. Due to the shallow reef, the waves were breaking a lot faster than I was used to. I saw a wave coming my way and paddled, paddled, paddled, stood up and immediately lost my balance. I took a tumble and realized it wasn't as bad as it looked. I was feeling stiff but after eating it, some of the intimidation lifted and I loosened up and had some fun rides.






The unspoiled beauty and remoteness of Waimanu Valley make it one of my favorite places on earth. We brought along our boards and fins, seeking to ride waves any possible way. The highlight for me was paddling up the stream deep into the Valley, navigating through mangroves and brush. Spectacular!!