…else. Yeah, it’s Hawaii.

I’m guessing this is Stig, Steve’s friend from Hawaii. I’ve never met him. Heard about him. I heard how he and Stephen hit some big reef action on the wild coast; in fact, somewhere in my stacked-on-top-of-each-other entries (working on organizing this), there’s a story Steve wrote (wasn’t happy with my editing/changing, so I ran his as was/is) about that incident.

He told me, on the phone the other day, about this session. Stig had come to the big island from his job on Oahu. He and Steve paddled out on a big day at _______ (I guess I forgot the place’s name), in crowded conditions. Sitting farthest out, diving down to check the reef, Stig evidently was in position for several of the largest ‘bombs.’

Steve, no doubt, said ‘bombs,’ downplaying, as always, his own surfing. “Yeah, but how did the locals treat you?” “Fine.” “Well, maybe they think you’re a… I mean, you’re living there.” “Maybe. People are nice. Even the tweakers. So mellow.” “Okay, gotta go.”

Here’s an email from Stephen on a more recent session at a different spot. There are photos, but I don’t know how, right now, to get them from a compressed file to here.

Hi Erwin.
Ya, I didn’t know what to expect when I paddled out there.
I was shocked to see how big it was.
Close to double with ledgey Hawaii drops.
Ya the vibe is —– —— (redacted by me) party wave style but only lots of guys getting barreled that actually rip.
The take off is super sketch. Gnarley slab reef deal. That’s what makes it badass. The chargers go deep and beginners shoulder hop and groms are further inside.
I was a shoulder hopper. I had some looks at empty bombs too because people couldn’t catch them and I wasn’t on it you know.
For me it’s like a big tropical —– —– (redact).
Every one is really nice out there too.

OKAY, I tried. File type is not supported. Okay, I’ll describe the scene. Light colored, obviously tropical water; overhead (as opposed to hugging the mountains) sun; lefts peeling from a rocky outcropping, into a deeper bay. Surfers are variously charging, turning, in tight; but other shots show ten shoulder-hoppers, just waiting; and one photo has someone in position, kick-stalling, as another longboarder drops in. So, yeah, maybe it is like a big-enough day at ____ ______.

Meanwhile, surf-starved northwesterners are probably all over the highways today. I’m headed the opposite direction, so, sob, sob, more waves for you. No, that’s me sobbing; but I have a plan.