Monthly Archives: April 2020

2904, 2020

Day 39ish of Hawaii COVID-19 Surf Sessions.

By |April 29th, 2020|Uncategorized|0 Comments

In January 2020, I remember hearing about China quarantining millions of people and looking out my window, thinking, “I guess I could isolate here. Little did I know that mere weeks later, I would be under some of the strictest quarantine laws in the nation, except for surfing. Hawaii allowed surfing, fishing, and all water sports categorized as essential activities, a testimony to our elected leaders being in touch with the reality of living on an island. The rest of the life in paradise was locked down hard with Kauai leading the way and having a nightly 9:00 PM curfew and mandatory 14-day isolation for all airport arrivals. So with little to do but surf and shop for food, life became pretty simple, fast! With a series of seemingly endless west swells forecast, a daily surf mission with my best friend was the ticket. Dawn patrol started sometime around 8:30 AM after coffee gets consumed and hot water bottles filled for after surf rinsing. Boards and gear tossed into the back on my Nissan surf school truck, and away we went. It was hard passing perfect Pipe each day.  Lucky for us secret right-hander we had designated as our goto […]

2704, 2020

How to Train for Surfing

By |April 27th, 2020|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Surfing is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. While having a surf instructor at your side pushing you into waves can make it seem easy to do, the reality is that the more fit you are, the easier it is to surf. There are three types of surf fitness you need to develop; cardio or breath, flexibility, and strength. As with all exercise programs, you should, of course, consult your doctor to ensure you don’t have any underlying health issues. For my cardio workout, I like to run sprints in the sand. Since not all beaches are flat, I run sprints straight to the water and then back up the coast to the vegetation line. Sprinting when developing cardio is the best way to go. For my flexibility, I do a yoga routine twice a day. It’s pretty short, consisting of a sun salutation and a downward dog on both sides. For my strength work out, I use light weights. If you are following a daily surf training program when you come to take surf lessons, you will learn a lot faster and have more fun.

1804, 2020

I Never Really Wanted a Job Anyway.

By |April 18th, 2020|Uncategorized|0 Comments

I never really wanted to work anyway. So when I got an email from the state saying that they had suspended my surf school license indefinitely, It felt like a mixed blessing. I should start by saying being a surf instructor never felt like working anyway. I get to go into the ocean every day, still people out by sharing the magic of surfing with them. The only downside is that I wasn’t free surfing enough. Free surfing is when you surf for yourself; for me, it also means not getting paid to surf. Going back to the title of this article, “I never really wanted a job anyway.” And now I when I wake up in the morning, I take my time getting out of bed, Check surf line from my cell phone, call up my best friend, Jenn Marr, To say if she’s up for a morning session. Either way, I still have to decide which bikini I’m going to wear under my sun protection gear. If I’m lucky, my man will make me a fresh cup of coffee; sometimes, I have to make my own or go to the Coffee Gallery. I fill up my […]

1104, 2020

Life on the North Shore of Oahu During the Corona Virus Pandemic

By |April 11th, 2020|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Amazing life on the North Shore in some ways is better than ever. We are allowed to surf, but there is no traffic. It feels like I’m living back in the 1970s when one car and hour would drive down lonely Kamehameha Hwy. North Shore surfers once again rule the Laniakea parking lot as there are no visitors allowed on the island.


A DRIVE ON THE NORTH SHORE WHEN THE COVID-19 QUARANTINE FIRST STARTED

Along with no traffic, there is almost no economy. Most businesses have shuttered their doors, even Matsumomoto’s famous shave ice stand closed. The outlook is dire as current projections have Hawaii not being open to visitors for up to 18 months.

Still, if you’re a hardcore surfer, life could not be better. We may have to go back to living off packaged noodles, but the waves keep crashing, at least for now. Summer is just around the corner, and the thought of enduring months of super small waves and long hot days has me a little depressed.

North Shore Surf Girls Surf Student having fun at Chun’s Reef

One odd part of the quarantine is that you can’t sit on the beach and rest. You always have to be moving, […]