For Tory’s birthday this year, for old time’s sake, I packed up my camera and joined him for dawn patrol.
This means we set our alarm for long before the sun woke up, grabbed our Hula Pie coffees at Napili Bay and proceeded to patrol the west maui coastline. We check, double check and often triple check his favourite spots for the absolute very best spot to surf. Its an intricate science involving extensive data collection. Multiple sources are consulted – websites, phone calls, text messages, visuals, talking story with the rest of early morning crew – all weighing in with their appropriate reliability. You don’t want to be too influenced by the guy who ‘s amping on his third cup of coffee, or by the set of the day that just happened to be breaking as you pulled up to check. It is a delicate balance of variables and to pick anything but the very best spot comes at the price of having to hear all about it later. But being too picky or indecisive comes at the cost of time on dry land. There are some important life lessons tied in there.
After an hours worth of field research, we committed from sunrise until long after sunset, to the world class waves at Honolua Bay.
It was a perfectly unplanned day complete with breaching humbacks, barreling waves, kiawe barbecued steaks and ‘ulu, Coors Lights and friends.
Everybody’s favourite westside surf photog – Doomas – talking with baby Moon.
Classmates that surf together stay together… Lahainaluna class of 97 still charging;)
Happy Birthday Tor!!
Maui Maka 