I ventured off to Hawaii to surf in the 15th annual Rabbit Kekai Longboard Classic. For 13 years they held the event in Costa Rica, but for the last two years they posted up in Waikiki to coincide with the Duke Kahanamoku Ocean Festival and reconnect with Rabbit’s roots. This may sound arrogant but I wasn’t all that stoked to go to Hawaii. I had been to Honolulu a number of times before, and in comparison to what the rest of Hawaii has to offer, it’s not so up to par. It’s just a bit of a presentation, but I am sure that other people love that about it. However, I was pretty stoked this time because my parents were going to be with me as my Dad was rocking out on a business trip.
The contest went reasonably well. I have had mediocre success in Hawaii in the past, so I was hoping to break the mold and work my way into a really good result. On day one I won my first heat over Tony Silvagni with a solid heat total around 15 points. I had some momentum, and I was riding a different board than a lot of the other guys, a single fin high performance noserider rather than the standard tri-fin high performance pintail, so I felt pretty good heading into day two. On day two I lost in the quarter finals. It was one of those things, a usual alleby for me, I couldn’t get a good wave. It was a fairly close heat, I just wasn’t in synch with mother nature and I bowed out of the contest. But I was able to have a good time with my mother and father, hang out in Hawaii, and vacation a little. So here are some photos to show just how much fun we had.
On the way there, I was upgraded to first class. Don’t ask me why or how because I have no idea. All I know is I got to eat an epic three dish dinner with a beer, and topped it off with bailey’s and coffee and mocha ice cream topped with hot fudge and caramel. Ridiculous.
Got a glimpse of a DOUBLE RAINBOW!!!
Me and the Duke hanging loose, shakas.
As classic as they come.
Getting artsy with the hipstomatic.
Yep, that’s a dolphin jumping out of the water. Not sure how I feel about captivating dolphins, but he poses well for photos.
Nice Hawaiin airport decorating . . .
Homeward bound (not the movie about dogs).