Beautiful Outer reef day

They were calling 15-25 feet. After driving up and down the coast to find the right spot, I met up with Gaimpaolo, together we paddled to the out reef.

It was one of those perfect days. Big and high peeling waves, glassy, now wind and just 4 of us out there and a couple of tow in crews.

I had the HD Go Pro camera mounted on my head,Giampaolo on his paddle. This time I made only pictures. Which this camera does very well by the way.

We stayed out from 7:00 to 11:00, Dagmar took care of the shop. I saw this one coming last week and we sheduled this session as a 'have to go'

Unfortunately the wide angle lens doesn't reflect the actual size of the waves.

Also check Gaimpaolo 's site with more action. http://www.mauisurfreport.blogspot.com/

This is one picture where you can actually see a little bit of the actual size of the waves. The pocket just behind me and peeling in front, what a life. Wooohaa...

Here is a shot of Giampaolo, he also had an awesome day.

Giamo Paolo made this one from his paddle mount.

I broke my leach, the a tow in team helped me back to my board. After that it was a short leach with a big not which held up for another 2 hours.

My version of Ben Stiller, 'There is something about Mary", see Giampaolo's blog. http://www.mauisurfreport.blogspot.com/

Another shot of Gaimpaolo sharing this wave with me.

Look at this perfect shape.

Aloha from Maui

Oh Beautiful Hookipa

Sunday morning,
glassy, big waves a beautiful day, a stand up day. I leave my wife and daughter before breakfast, after quick birthday call to my sister in Holland. I drive down 3 minutes before I see how good the waves really are.
After a couple of tries I made it out in Kuau. Getting to know my new 9'1" a little bit better. A few amazing drops and rides.
Although the forecast wasn't to good. The wind picked up strong enough in the afternoon. This time Hookipa. The Light winds on the inside made it challenging to get out. Below is a picture of Ola from Sweden with a huge set in front of him.
Once you were out you could ride the big sets and just get out in time and don't ride them in all the way. But what fun it was. Sharing Hookipa only with hand full of other riders. Brilliant as ever Robby Naish. Daring as always, Mark Angulo, Young riders Bend, Connor Baxter and my friend Andres. Hookipa at it's best.
Thanks Kate, for the pictures



Ola facing nature

Robby Naish

Bootm Turn Robby Style

Bend on of the youngest riders in Hookipa

Mark Angulo

The Waterman League

Waterman League's Stand Up Paddle World Tour is on in Oahu.

Maui's Kai Lenny (17) , Robby Naish and Slater Trout (15) all made it through the first round.

Here are some pictures from the trails and first round.

The wind is back on here on Maui. Since I have the new GO PRO HD camera I made some movies but did not edit them. From wednesday on there is lot's of waves and wind. But first those Waterman League pictures.

These pics don't need any words.

Aloha from Maui, Bart

New Toys and big waves pipeline

Check out the videos of the pipeline volcom Pro in Oahu. Dagmar was there with a girlfriend and saw the whole thing live from the beach. www.volcompipelinepro.com

NEW TOYS

Our container arrived Saturday, with all the new Starboards ( read toys)
After hours of unpacking I discovers some beautiful boards.
I had to go and try them out Sunday morning.
First a session on the new 9'1" pro ( 29 wide) in Hookipa. When I arrived the wind was already there. As a windsurfer I don't mind as a stand up surfers I do. Which means I am always happy with or without wind.
A had a couple of good ride , big drops and big wipe outs. In all a good morning.

All the new toys in the back up of my pick up ready for water.

In the after noon I went first for a windsurf stand up session. Which ended not too well after my mastfoot broke. After that I gave it an other try on the new QUAD 76 which was absolutely awesome. Light winds stopped most people going out in Kuau which has a difficult entrance and exit. The over mast high sets made it all exciting and worth it. In all a great day. I am totally hooked on the Quads, they plane very well and still you can make some much tight turns on a wave, like a surfboard.

Kanaha Kai packed with new Boards.

Karen Baxter head of inventory

Aloha, From Maui

The wind came and went, the waves still going strong

Pics by Dagmar

This week the trades were back.. only for a couple of days. We had a beautiful side/on-almost-Holland-conditions for one day. I came back late from work, drove by Hookipa and couldn't resist to jump in the water. After a big rain shower.The wind really filled in, together with a good swell it made an epic sunset session with only 4 guys out in Hookipa, Kauli seadi, Pieter Bijl and 2 more locals. I still use the Evil twin 74 which is a great board, snappy easy to use and still radical. I ordered the Quad 71 which is an whole other board, still easy to use but even more surf style, very turny with a lot of grip.

The next day the swell really kicked in. Hookipa closed out and Kuau was big but ride able. Together with the usual 5 or 6 who come after work we had some amazing size rides.

This weekend for the first time since the beginning of December the waves were small again and there was a big crowd in Hookipa. Sunday morning things looked different again and the swell was up. It just keeps coming.

Next week we get in the new Starboards. The Qauds, the new SUPs. So there will be a lot to try out and tell you about. I still use the SUP 9'8" element which is a nice board and does well in small to medium size waves but I am ready for something smaller. Although if you go smaller you loose some of the early-wave-catching-ability.

The next week looks mixed again. Mostly waves some days with wind and a possible tow in or big stand up day. I still haven't figured out how to show the wave size on the go pro videos but I will keep trying.

Mama's Fish House Parrot looking at the stand up paddlers

JAWS WipeOUT VIDEO

Take look at this Short JAWS Wipe Out Reel, Video, Elliot Leboe made.
Don't try this at home or in the bath tub

Jaws Wipeout Reel 2009 from ACL Productions on Vimeo.

More Maui winter swells and my best stand up wave ever

What a day.

First a 2 hours session in Uppers Kanaha. After I passed by almost any Maui spot. Hookipa, Kuau, Baby beach, Pier one. Most were closing out and impossible to get out. So I ended up in Kanaha were you can always go out. Only this time there were 15 other guys in a place where you are normally by yourself.
Here is a little view of how it was.



I wasn't totally happy about the morning session so I went out again in the afternoon. I was still huge, Jaws was breaking just a couple of miles down the coast.
Kaua looked do-able once you were out. I went ot Noriagas and met Mike Eskimo with his french friend Bruno. We took of though the shore break, through a little channel which was the mostly open. And ended up outside. The waves were huge and hard to get. When They have this size they also have a lot of speed. The only thing you can do is, go deep, paddle hard and be lucky that there isn't a huge set showing up on the horizon. Twice a set almost got me. So I didn't waited around to long and found a big, good a frame wave and got my biggest wave I have ever riden on a stand up. A thrilling ride which lastes longer than I hoped for but finally closest out on me when I was almost in. Mike and Bruno weren't that lucky. The next set first got Bruno then 2 wave later Mike. Both their leaches broke and boards ended up where I was waiting inside. They had a exciting scrary swim but got washed in pretty quick. So no footage or pics.
An exciting day in een exciting week.

Here is the rest of the diary

Monday tow in what I thought was the biggest swell of this winter with some great rides and great swim (wipe outs), wind 2 BFT SW Waves XXL
Teusday, wind 1 BFT NE, waves XL, action Tow in
Wednesday wind Var 1BFT, waves M, no action
Thursday wind 3-4 BFT N,sail 5.8, waves M, no action
Friday wind 5 BFT, Sail 5.0, waves M windsurfing in Hookipa
Saterday wind 3BFT NE, waves MStand up family session in Kanaha
Sunday wind 2 BFT NE, waves XL, 2 Stand up session, Kanah & Kuau

Below are a few pics of last week with a small swell in Kuau.