The North Shore of O‘ahu has finally woken back up, and what an awakening it was. Pipeline was a solid 10-15 feet to close out 2016’s opening weekend with good conditions. The butterflies were extra jumpy as I walked by a hefty crowd along the beach and witnessed a couple surfers and a photographer get ripped by the current to ‘Ehukai. I sat in the sand and strapped on my fins, leashes, and helmet, mentally preparing myself for the swim out. There seemed to be a short grace period so I took a deep breath and jumped in the water. After a twenty-minute battle with the current I finally made it to the lineup, exhausted. Just moments after getting there a large creature flipped out of the water 25 feet away from the six or seven other photographers and myself. I thought it was a dolphin at first, but it was confirmed by a few others who witnessed it that we’d had a quick visit from a shark. In shock, I tried my best not to think about it and stay close to the pack of photographers. Between battling the rip current and worrying if a shark was underneath me, I didn’t have much focus left for the waves. As I shifted my attention to shooting my jaw dropped and my eyes widened, watching a perfect peeling wave break right over Koa Rothman’s head. People were cheering and shouting. The waves came in one after another. Noa Mizuno took a gnarly drop and made it out untouched. Derek Ho glided his way along a hefty wall.
In my entire time out there I didn’t see one person without a smile. Everyone was scoring. Without a doubt, these were some of the most beautiful beastly backlit barrels that I’ve witnessed. After a two-wave hold down and a smashed elbow from the reef I still couldn’t stop smiling; my hands still shaking from the adrenaline. When it was all said and done I stood on the beach with my blistered feet dug into the sand, thinking about a session that I will never forget.
