Howzit North Shore! The wave-making machine finally kicked in full time and we have been having swell after swell, especially in December. There were many crossed-up North and West and North-West swells, but even these had their moments. Generally the overall surge has been from the North and North-East. A lot of Laniakea. Lots of rights everywhere. A regular foot’s paradise. Plus, surfers who live from Mokuleia to Makapuu have had waves right outside their door, and Sandy Beach had that all rime rare Huge Day on Nov. 21st. Not a BIG winter, but fairly consistent. Now that it is almost 2004, and will be by the time you read this… how was your first week of the New Year? Did you catch some good waves? Resolutions? Fireworks?

We saw a pod of over fifty young porpoises spinning and playing right out near were we were towsurfing on an outside reef west of Haleiwa. We stopped to watch their show. Mostly the younger ones really like to show off, spinning apparently as may times as they can in the air before splashing back into the water. One older guy was doing backflips by coming out of the water tail first, spinning completely around in the air and landing back on his tail in the water. Amazing!

At this writing, the 34th Haleiwa International Open is on at Haleiwa’s Alii Beach Park. This year’s event started it’s waiting period on the 22nd of December instead of the traditional day after Cristmas start on the 26th. On the 23rd the Japan Men’s and Jr. Men’s divisions got underway in some pretty contestable Haleiwa. The results next time! This contest is in contention with the Pipeline Masters and the RipCurl Bell’s Beach Classic as the longest running surf contest in modern history. Kerry, Earl, Skill and the “Friend’s of Alii Beach” have the annual Big Wave HIO Contest dialed in at Haleiwa!

By now you know Andy Irons won the Pipe Master 2003, and thereby clinched the Triple Crown and ASP World Titles for 2003. Happy camper! Kelly Slater gave him a real good fight to the finish but took 4th in the Pipe Masters to Irons’win and that settled the deal! Keala Kennelly of Hawaii took the 2003 Vans Triple Crown championship. Layne Beachley got her 6th World Championship on the ASP/WCT 2003 tour by winning the ratings points game. The Australian lady is unprecedented 6x world champion for the women for 2003 and doesn’t show any signs of backing down.

The debate continues over surfing teams in Hawaiii’s public schools. The Honolulu Advertiser talked to educators, surfers and students in a recent December 21 article from that paper in the “Island Life” section. Is the tide turning?

The “Art House” at Restaurant Row continues to have great and reknowned surf films in their ongoingfilm festival. Included recently were Big Wednesday, Fluid Drive, SuperSessions and SingleFin: Yellow.

“Surfing’s popularity with women hits new heights on North Shore” was the headline in the Dec. 8th Honolulu Advertiser by Will Hoover. Partly because of the film “Blue Crush” and partly just due to the call of the sea and the surfing lifestyle. “The influx of female surfing enthusiasts has occurred so quickly that no one has had time to do an accurate head count. But Joe Green, owner of Surf N Sea… said the numbers are up dramatically. ‘I’m seeing more and more girls of all races here on the North Shore- triple, maybe four times as many, in just the last year!’ he said.” Statitstical evidence supports Green’s conclusion. A study completed by the Surfing Industry Manufacturer’s Association estimated that the number of girls who surf has increased by 280 percent during the past four years.

Now that the Pro Tour is done for ’03, we who live here can settle into the sublime routine of winter on the North Shore without much traffic except on the weekends or when the surf get REALLY BIG. That would be nice, actually. I could stand some traffic for a MACKER SWELL or two.

Jack Johnson just played Kualoa Ranch. Hometown boy makes good. He still comes back to surf as often as possible in the life of a rockstar/folksinger like he is. Right on Jack Johnson! Aloha… Ace Cool!