HAWAII!! Part 1

So back in April, I won a free round-trip ticket to Hawaii at the Siesta Key Classic. It expired within a year, but honestly I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to cash it in at all! Travelling from Florida to Hawaii is crazy expensive, so it would be too pricey to take my whole family, and my mom (who I usually travel with) can't leave my siblings at home for a couple weeks. But my mom finally found a way!! I flew over with my friends Brett and Cody Huf (the surf shop I work at carries their KM Boards) and stayed with a couple friends. It was the trip of a lifetime, absolutely incredible!! Here's how my first week went...

As soon as I arrived at baggage claim from a long day of travel, the Huf family as well as my friends the Rivera family were already there with leis in hand to welcome me to the Aloha state!! After saying a goodbye to the Hufs, I went back to the Rivera's house, where I would spend my first week. Mr. Dalbert Rivera has the coolest job as a diver for the Navy on the base in Honolulu. He and his super sweet wife Sully have 2 kids, Dalbert and Seachelle (coolest name). They all surf, which was super lucky for me!! Every day we got to check out a new spot and Dalbert(s) and Seachelle are really fun to go surf with :)

Because of the time change, It was only about 3 in the afternoon once I was settled in at the Riveras. I was super tired, but so stoked to finally be in Hawaii!! It only took a little bit of begging to convince them to take me surfing ;) I couldn't believe it, I was in the water at Waikiki fresh off the plane surfing Queens!! It was amazing to visit such a famous and iconic spot and surf a beautiful right hand break. At first I was really nervous. There are a TON of people in Waikiki, and I was afraid of dropping in on someone accidentally. But I met some really nice people and eventually got the hang of it. I was very careful to take off, but I still got the best waves of my life!!

Every day with the Riveras I woke up early and went surfing. We hit up spots like Queens, Pops, Old Mans, some breaks in Ala Moana, and Canoes. Because the Molokai to Oahu race was coming up, a lot of paddlers were in town training and preparing for the big race. It was awesome to see them as well as local Oahu friends like the Sweets!! Sean and Judy Sweet invited me and the Riveras to their house for dinner one night. It has the most killer view on Oahu--and the yummiest food!! 

I was mostly SUP Surfing, but I did get some training in!! On a Wednesday night I went with the Riveras, the Hufs, and my grommie friend Sasha Kau'hane to a mini race in Hawaii Kai. It started in flat water where the Canoe clubs practice and went out into the surf at Hawaii Kai. Of course it was really not a big deal race, but what was truly notable about it was how comfortable I felt surfing the race board. Living on the flat Gulf coast of Florida, I don't get nearly as much surfing in as I would like to, so waves have always been a weak point for me. Being able to surf a 12'6 race board in the sloppy Hawaii Kai waves was amazing!! I felt so much more control in the waves after just a few days of surfing in powerful Hawaii waters. 

One of my favorite activities with the Riveras was our trip up to the North Shore!! We drove past all of the famous, huge surf spots--super flat in the winter, of course. The North Shore is beautiful, and much more country than the south shore of the island. We paddled from Sunset Beach to Waimea Bay with the Alexiou family. It was a nice short paddle with crystal clear water and a couple of sea turtles! Once we got to Waimea, we hung out for a little while and jumped off the iconic Waimea Rock! 

Next up I got to hang out with Hawaii paddler Morgan Hoesterey! I went on a Hawaii Kai Downwind run with 2 of her friends and it was pretty amazing. Even though the bumps weren't as good as usual, it was way more powerful and different than anything I had encountered in Florida (or anywhere else for that matter), which meant that it was way more fun-and more difficult. It took a little bit of coaching for me to get the hang of catching and gliding on bumps, but once I got the hang of it, it was so fun!! But even without riding bumps, I was pulling my fastest mile times ever because the currents are so strong through that area. It only took me about an hour and a half going easy to pull off 8-9 miles!

Morgan also took me and Seachelle on an amazing hike at Manoa Falls. It was quite a climb to get up there, first through mud, then up tree roots, until it turned into a basically vertical climb up rocks and trees. I LOVED it!!! I'm nuts for rock climbing as well as climbing trees!! Seachelle (being quite younger than me) had a bit of a harder time, but Morgan and I were able to walk her thorough with motivating words like "waterfall". Once Seachelle learned there was a waterfall at the top, she pulled it together enough to make it all the way up. What a trooper! 

The next day was another great hike, this time to some really cool sea cliffs. It was incredible to watch the water smash against the rocks again and again, so strong and crazy powerful. It makes you realize just how endless and amazing the ocean really is, and make surfing and paddling all the more special because for a couple shining moments, you can work in conjunction with the biggest and strongest force on earth.

...And that was just week #1!!

Part 2 coming soon! Thanks for reading(: 

xx Bailey