PADDLING

Just got back from a killer paddling session with my boss and his friends down at sand island and I have to say--I'm really bummed. Now to the list of things I love to do--of my surfing, fishing, diving, swimming, biking, hiking, waterfall seeking and jumping, ka--ra--tae, crabbing, and cooking, and other stuff too, I must add a new passion. Paddling. How am I going to find the time to do all this rad stuff! Luckily I live in Hawaii now, where it's actually kind of possible.

There's nothing like paddling in a six man canoe--when you get up with a good crew of guys, and or girls, and get out there and just put your heads down and find a rhythm. The boat just glides so smooth--I become so focused on my technique, on making good, short, powerful strokes, on switching fast and accurately, on getting in sync with those in front of me, or behind me depending on what seat I have--eventually sometimes just for brief moments, sometimes for longer, the boat and crew becomes one, and the glide gets big and bright and in rhythm with something very big, a pace that never stops... It's a good feeling to have.

Now I'm home and checking out some paddling videos online--this one's pretty fun--just a bunch of haole guys not taking themselves too seriously, but who have all probably been paddling for years. Unreal steersman. Sorry that it's kind of a Patagonia add... it's still a cool video. Check em...

Ka Malolo (the flying fish) from Guy Martin on Vimeo.

www.prafter.com

It has come to our attention that our constituents over at prafter.com have been catching some heat for not posting dakine media found here in the cave.

And I just want to be the first to say that I do not condone this bantering of the scientists website, that I have quite a few friends whom are scientists and I know how busy they can be, what with all the different kine chloroplast there are in the world, not to mention various lichen sub-cultures. Plus petri dish, mitochondria (powerhouse), science, and math, so as you can see with all of these things scientists can be very busy and not have lots of time to spend on silly blog posts.

Also I would like to mention that Pat Rafter became a best friend of mine when I was like 12 or something, a hero at like 15, and then a mentor at like 20, and now we like to talk about surfing a lot accept when he occasionally has to call me for advice about some science he's working on, like when he called me recently to ask why hydrogen methane gas pockets at the bottom of the sea have released numerous bubbles which have not risen to the surface for some mysterious reason. The reason, of course, I told him "is because there is a huge community of underwater people who live at the bottom of the sea specifically around these gas pockets, and they have devised a way to harness the co2 double helix oxygen molecules contained within the bubbles those pockets release--therefore, the sea peoples have obviously focused the bubbles into one large dome like bubble which they all live in and grow their seaweed plants and ride their eel rail transportation system and go and have sea babies and dance the funky amenity all the time."

In any case... what a world he sees through those eyes that Rafter-- And how I love to tap into that vision from time to time, just call him up and say some words and the guy will communicate some really unique shit back to you. Better than my stuff, cause it's usually real!

What can I say Rafter is weird, and no matter how much Brookie bear tries to straighten him out and dress him like a model and give him expensive handbags to carry around he will always have that uncommonly boisterous and brilliant Rafter mind not to mention that untamed mad scientist hair. Thats why we all love him so much. So don't mess with his web page blog thing. (gimp)

I like bodysurfing.

Went to Makapu'u with Ed Glazier today. Got some nice slabby little tubes bodysurfing. Feel good now.

(Cunningham is the man, hows that bottom turn at 50 seconds!)

Unreal

New Wings!

just picked this up today, saw it out of the corner of my eye while driving, pulled a yew! turn and made the deal. on further inspection i found it to be a 7'2" sunset surfboards shaped by sid madden. with little research i learned that sydney manning was a shaper from the 60's and seventies who learned the craft from dick brewer.... ooooooo! i even have a picture of him charging second reef pipe backhand, but with a name like sunset written on it, it may jus be fate for this winter.... we shall see.......

c.b.

Diving Carolina

Photos by Logan

Fellow cave dweller Jaime Hunter sent me a text message yesterday that inspired me to put up a few photo's from dive trips last summer. How I miss diving Carolina...

Message received via text:

May 21, 4:24 pm--from Pig--

"Shot a 24 inch blue somewhere around four to five pounds,

wrightsville jetty, 20 foot vis!

So many fish right now, giant schools of sheep on jetty too!"

Right on Pig, try leave some fish for me, I'm hoping to venture down that way some time this summer!

And Mine

my new hero

Some Swell Rides With "El Matador"

Some Swell Rides from Brian Herron on Vimeo.

Here we find Taylor Moore aka "The Matador," Joe-C, and Cave on a late winter C-street strike mission. As you might expect the air temp was 33f, and the water was in the mid to low 40's.

With conditions like these I like to try to play some fast music in the car in hopes of loosening up the dance muscles for frigid surf riding, but no matter how jive things are in the car, once your in the water a whole different kine music creeps into your head. On this day, Joe had already surfed in the morning so he graciously opted for the camera while Taylor and I laid down some cold water lines.

This was perhaps my last surfing session in Wrightsville.

It must be noted here that T. Moore is one of the best surfers in Wilmington, if not the whole of NC, in not the whole of the world... The guy is versatile, powerful, and stylish. He can ride big waves and small waves. Any board. And there is no one more hard-core--almost all of my six hour surf sessions have been with Taylor, he just loves the water for what it is. Also, I should mention that Taylor is not known as "El Matador" by anyone in particular, but I've always kind of thought of his surf style much like that of the Spanish Matador... as he ever so gracefully glides along the swells of the sea, turning powerfully and at times radically to ultimately position himself within their most dangerous and most beautiful heart places.

Lau Lau

For Adam

Be strong. Use your muscles. Carry it. Don't drop it. Just carry it.

Build a boat. (part 2, cave brother)

Build a boat.

That red vest look familiar?

ORCA

CAVE MOM

Cave Mum with tear drop van.

Cave sister is a mom too.

Cave Mum with a cat.

Cave mum with her Dad. Looks like she was in trouble.

My Mum works on a island. Stone Harbor. When I was very young, I used to have to go to work with her and hang out. One day I got bored. "Mom, I'm bored," I said. "Well, there's not much I can do for you Brian," she answered. And then she said--and I will never forget this--"why don't you walk down to the beach and watch the surfers."

So I did, I walked straight down 98th street and watched people ride waves. This was before I knew what that was, a time when I looked at the ocean and saw a big place, a big water, not just a shore line with peeling lefts and rights or none at all. So I watched the surfers and something happened, I still remember this, this feeling I felt, soon I found myself in a surf shop buying huge bubble gum stickers and bars of sex wax. I can still remember the smell of wax when I was young, it was a magic smell, it awakened my mind to something I knew nothing about, but craved intensely. Then I got serious about boogie boarding. Then I met the Slug. Then we started surfing. Then I met the Gimp. Then we surfed more. One day, we got slope. I still remember Slug taking off on the top of a curling wave, not just riding the white-wash, and freaking out screaming, learning about "stoke." We got better, we met everyone we know and care dearly about, we travelled, we grew up, some of us went away, some of us stayed, some of us have passed on to another place, and still we surfed, when ever we could, when ever we can, we surf, we, ride, swell. Thanks Mom. I owe everything I have to you. You are rad.

INSPIRATION FOR SURF PIPE ON SUNDAY