One of my favorite things about light variable winds (10mph or less) in the Hawaiian Islands is that can bring a smokey haze into the air from the active volcano on the Big Island.  Light haze combined with glassy ocean conditions makes it difficult for one to decipher where the horizon is.  The ocean appears to go on forever...
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This was one of those weeks that a south shore surfer dreams of.  Light, variable winds and skewed surf forecast.  One of the local Oahu surf reports was calling for 1-2 ft waves, local scale.  What I witnessed this week was a solid head high and the occasional overhead set......all.....week....long.

​Here are some selections from this past week at a couple of my favorite south shore surf spots.
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World famous Ehukai Beach Park, North Shore Oahu.  Pipe Masters 2013.

The seven mile miracle is a seven mile stretch of world class surf on the north shore of the island of Oahu in the Hawaiian Island chain.  Here are a couple shots of a morning well spent at the North Shore, Oahu.
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The first month of our last year on this planet (if you're into that type of stuff) has presented local surfers on the island of Oahu with many signs of a prosperous final 12 months....  Most of  this week, the north shore of Oahu was blessed with 4-6 foot surf and light to "dead" winds.  These two variables helped to produce glassy conditions for most of the week.
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​The Banzai Pipeline is at the heart of the "Seven Mile Miracle" on the North Shore of the island of Oahu in Hawaii.  The Seven Mile Miracle refers to a seven mile stretch of coastline that includes more world class surf spots (per mile) than any surf destination on the planet.  Here a couple shots from the Banzai Pipeline/Ehukai area of Oahu.

Instead, there is the sun, the sky, the earth and the ocean.  People of Polynesia have long practiced a different yet profound approach to education.  One that uses the physical elements of life as it's classroom, where the lessons can give you sunburns and the tests involve focus and a surfboard.

To know whether or not you passed or failed isn’t important.  Rather, it is most important that the same connection and reliance to the ocean is built from the foundation a previous generation has paved.  It’s developing humility and paying respect to the ocean for reasons beyond its leisure avail.  A faith in the role it plays in their lives as a source of food, health and spiritual guidance.

This image, shot in the islands of French Polynesia, strives to capture this notion. Where older generations pass on their ways of life that have been so heavily influenced by the water.  As their source of physical, mental and spiritual nourishment - it is all they have and will ever need.
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​This month showed a lot of promise.  More visible is the big winter wave season on the North Shore of Oahu....amongst other things.