Ke Nui - Living and Working on Aloha
The Past
Since my early years, I have always been drawn to the Hawaiian Islands. My curiosity and passion for the surfing has led me to the birthplace of the the sport . Specifically, the North Shore of Oahu.
My first trip to the island began in December of 2019. A winter break trip with a few college friends, we traveled around the island exploring everything it had to offer. Really emphasizing the word Haole, we got to experience everything from the Billabong Pipemasters, turtle traffic in Haleiwa, and an ignorant attitude towards the strength of our environments.
As we concluded our 5 day aloha experience, I immediately felt an urge to return back to the island of Oahu. A year later, I planned another trip to visit this magical place. Consequently, the world was imploding, travel was chaotic, and we somehow made it back amidst the Covid - 19 Pandemic.
This second trip was special, really special - although we were in the middle of a lockdown. During this trip, I really understood the power of the ocean, met some local creators, and somehow put 1,000+ miles on our rental car, sorry. Leaving the island left me wanting more. I always wanted more aloha time.
The Present
During the summer of 2022, I got an inquiry about living and working on the North Shore of Oahu. Immediately striking my interest, I knew that it was something I could not pass up. This trip would finally allow me to spend an extended period of time on Oahu and immerse myself into the culture, environment, and the ocean, this was the scary part.
I knew my set Departure was in early January of 2023. I would be staying on the North Shore, near Sunset Beach, for a little over a month. What I didnt know was how exciting and life changing this experience would be.
Week 1
Week 1 included arriving at Kei Nui (our residence for the next few weeks. This was a shack. Always wet, dirty, and something interesting going on), lots of surf checks, an illegal waterfall hike, my first Waimea Swell, tall boy Tecates, and linking up with my old college friend Garrit. Check out his film preservation (@garritspeiss).
Week 2
Establishing my home base and adjusting to the time change, week 2 offered some amazing experiences. The biggest, baddest, scariest Backdoor Shootout, A swimsuit campaign with Carissa Moore & Hurley, lots of Poke bowls, amazing sunsets, and beautiful North shore weather.
Week 3
Week 3 offered the Eddie Swell (27ft @ 19 seconds), an anticipated visit from Jessie, lots of new hikes & exploring, and meeting the style-bending, stoke-master, karate guru, and North Shore legend, Todd Dunphy - Also the owner of our house.
Week 4-5
This last week was interesting. Lots of rain. I mean it rained for 8 days straight. Two laptops fried, linking up with childhood friend and now Vissla rider : Jimmy Surf, cyrstal clear underwater conditions with Connor Trimble, and having to say way to many hard goodbyes.
The Future
Creating a conclusion of this trip would be hard. I am sure there are details that I left out, but including everything would be impossible. Living and working on Aloha for a whole month will be something I will never forget. I look forward to returning to this magical space. I look forward to future karate session and intriguing conversations from Todd, being connected with my surroundings, meeting back up with old and new friends, poke bowls, foodland, and the big bad scary waters of the North Shore. This place is a spectacle.
