The North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii

All Photos by Todd Glaser

Kelly wins Pipe and wins a 9th world title…blah, blah, blah. You can read all about it on one of the major surf sites. They have covered it well. Now that the contest is over the semi-hectic pace of the North Shore seems to be cooling down a bit.

The Pipe Masters was over so fast that many tickets were changed and traveling pros far from home made a quick exodus from the island back to their families and familiar beds. However, there is still a slew of pros, photographers, media and industry execs roaming the island because the winter season is only half over. This is easily confirmed by simply visiting any of the food eateries in Haleiwa during lunch. You will probably see your favorite pro or celebrity surfer ordering the same Hungry Hawaiian sandwich and macadamia-chocolate chip cookie you just ordered at Waialua Bakery.

Since the contest ended the surf declined a bit and the island was hit by some major rains. Flooding occurred on Kauai and Oahu which shut down many roads. The waters turned a deep reddish brown as rivers and creeks roared to life and fed the ocean with debris and bacteria. Locals were saying that they hadn’t seen rains that strong for many years. Many surfers took the time to hang with friends and family, take care of neglected chores and nurse deep cuts sustained during the previous weeks massive swells.

It’s been a couple days since the last heavy rains and some sun finally broke out and the water turned from brown to a green color that looked closer to California waters. It wasn’t the usual clear Hawaiian water color but the locals were stoked to finally see the brown go away. The Matuse Family Members were quick to take advantage of the small but fun waves and get there hair wet after being out of the water for 4-5 days. Matuse Family member Todd Glaser has been on hand to document all the surf sessions. All photos to the left are courtesy of Todd Glaser.

Mikala Jones tested the new Matuse short-arm Chapter 1 top the other day and was lovin it. Mikala grew up right in front of Rockies and knows the wave inside and out.

Daniel Jones, Mikala’s younger brother, also had the advantage of growing up right in front of the famous break. His high speed attack is proof enough of the time he’s spent surfing his backyard.

Flynn Novak lives at Mikala and Daniel’s house and has also spent quite a lot of time at Rockies. Though Flynn is mainly known for his Pipeline prowess, he has Rockies wired — especially the lefts.

Jamie Sterling is in town and lives right across the street from Mikala, Daniel and Flynn. Since there are no humongous swells on the charts, Jamie is cruising while waiting for mother nature to tell him where he needs to be next.

It looks like the swell is on the decline and more rain is forecasted this week. We’re hoping for a small bump on Wednesday to keep us out of the flat zone. Fingers are crossed the sun comes out and swell comes up soon. Aloha.