Howzit North Shore! Happy St. Patrick’s Day! If you got your North Shore News on time today… you should be drinking frosty green ones, wearing something green (or getting pinched for not doing so) and making like a lucky leprechaun right about now… right after seeking out perfect waves just past the pot of gold at the end of a gorgeous Hawaiian Rainbow! It sure makes me want to dance an Irish Jig after looking back on all the good swells that have poured through since the 1st of the year. Lucky we live Hawaii, and that’s no Blarney!

There were some stormy days and onshore “slop-jalop” swells, and there was A LOT of rain at times… but in general… 2004 has had some raging good surf, and the massive amounts of rain have turned EVERYTHING a “deeper shade of green”. From Mt. Kaala to Diamond Head and even to the Waianae Coast, the whole island is just NEON GREEN and sparkling with a healthy glow for St. Paddy’s. So smile, this island may be mega-crowded, but it’s still like “Paradise with an Ocean View”! Anyway, Hawaii No Ka Oi!

The “28th Annual Buffalo’s Big Board Surfing Classic” is slated to start up the weekend of March 6th and 7th at Makaha Beach as we go to press. “The One, the Only Buffalo!” was the headline as the legendary Waikiki Beachboy and Makaha Lifeguard, Buffalo Keaulana, graced the cover of the March 3rd “Mid-Week”. The notorious “Buff” hung with Duke Kahanamoku himself “back in the day”, and as he hosts his 28th Annual Event… he had a chance to talk of keeping true to Hawaiian tradition and values. Buff is 69 and still surfs pretty much everyday. Just like Rabbit Kekai, who is 82 and still going strong! Buff and Rabbit are the “Energizer Bunnies” of the surf and beachboy world. They just keep charging! Buff was one of the original lifeguards at Makaha Beach back in the days when they saved lives just for the love of it, and the need for it. Mayor Blaisdell finally created the position of “Lifeguard of Makaha Beach” for Buff in 1969. “Before that it was all volunteer lifeguards who got paid with a plate lunch” says Buffalo. (Midweek quote). Ten years before that, in 1959, Buff took a job as Park Keeper of Makaha Beach with accomodations on the 2nd floor above the restroom. “He soon realized the troubles some of the local kids were having and invited them to live with him. Only a month into their marriage and Buffalo and Momi suddenly had 30 kids!” (Midweek quote) Buff and Momi took good care of that crew and kept them in the water and out of trouble. He fostered in them a love for the water and appreciation for their culture. Governor Ariyoshi and the Pacific Maritime Institute sent Buff to Alaska to work with the Aleut Indian kids and give them a sense of pride, after word spread of what a great job he had done with the Makaha Beach kids. Buff was steersman on the Hokulea’s original voyage to Tahiti in 1976. When he returned to Makaha, everyone suggested that he start a surf meet to bring back the art of longboard surfing and help the West-Side people find more pride. The “Buffalo Big Board Classic” has become a cultural phenomenon over time, with canoe-surfing, tandem surfing and 250 pound “Bully Board” riders. “Nobody’s perfect, but if you want to get your brain together you got to wash ‘em and come surf”, says Buffalo. (Midweek quote). That is what the Buffalo Classic and surfing is all about. The ocean is healing!

On Sunday, February 22nd, the “Hansen’s Energy Pro” for 2004 presented by Billabong at Pipeline delivered an epic 4th consecutive day of perfect 8-12 foot surf at the Banzai Pipeline. The Event was a $75,000 4-Star ASP / WQS spectacular. “Never before has a professional surfing event at Pipeline received four straight days of such perfect, large surf.” (ASP quote) Up-and-coming 19 year old outer island surfer Tom Dosland from Haiku, Maui stole the show and won $10,000 for 1st place in the all–Hawaiian tube-fest final. Ranked 153rd in the world on the WQS Tour, Dosland shot to 9th place with his victory and will have gone on to compete this week, in the Quiksilver Pro at Snapper Rocks in Queensland, Australia to make a bid for the elite WCT tour by the time you read this. He’s on a roll, so stay tuned sports fans! Mikey Bruneau of Haleiwa got 2nd and $5000. Pancho Sullivan of Haleiwa took 3rd and $3000 and Fred Pattachia of Haleiwa took 4th and $2400. All finalists surfed superbly. The highest placed international surfer was Australia’s Shaun Cansdell of Coff’s Harbour, NSW… who finished equal 5th overall winning $2000, tying for 5th with California’s Chris Ward and moving up to 12th on the WQS ratings. Kamalei Alexander (Kauai) and Makua Rothman (Sunset Beach) finished in equal 7th place. North Shore Surfer, Marcus Hickman, got the “Annual ‘Todd Chesser Sportsmanship Award’ for the surfer who charges hard and embodies the ‘aloha’ spirit while doing so.” (ASP quote) Check out photos and videos of the Hansen’s Energy Pro Event and other Pipeline Events, scenery and free-surfing at spots like Backdoor, Off-the-Wall and Waimea Bay at www.northshorepowerportfolios.com! The ASP Roxy Pro for the women and Quicksilver Pro for the men presented by Boost Mobile have been on in Australia from March 2nd to 14th. Results next time! The ASP “Champions of the World” Awards Banquet took place Feb. 28th in Surfer’s Paradise on the Gold Coast of Australia. The Event launched the Foster’s men’s and ASP women’s tours 2004. Back at home in Hawaii the days grow longer, Haleiwa Eats dishes out the Thai Curry and Silikine Videos moves back up front at Chun’s Store on Haleiwa Beach Road. Oahu’s Surfrider Foundation works to preserve the North Shore pushing for bills that provide resources for the acquisition of the property known as Pupukea-Paumalu on the North Shore of Oahu for conservation purposes. These bills have made it all the way to the “money committees” in the Hawaii State Legislature. With your help, they will pass! Call 531-SURF! Keep Surfing! Aloha… Ace Cool!