Hawaiian South Shore May Newsletter
I GUESS SHE WAS RIGHT… AGAIN
David Kelly | Owner, Hawaiian South Shore
I got my first tattoo when I was in the Navy, and I guess it was more of the influence of the people around me. Many on board the ship had them, and I was open to the idea of getting one. I have one on my chest and another on my leg.
The leg tattoo was the first; it’s a sailing ship, in the form of a pirate’s ship. After being on board the ship and learning how things worked, I got really intrigued about how to operate the sailing vessel, and that led to getting my first tattoo on my leg, then the one on my chest was just on a whim.
After opening Hawaiian South Shore, tattoos became the mainstream and many people around me were getting sleeved. My manager Keith had one, and I wanted one as well. I really thought about it.
It’s actually a huge commitment, a lot of planning and time goes into one. I was planning one out with the help of a friend. Keiko, my wife, was totally against the idea and rightfully so. We were in the middle of talks with a Japanese department store for a line of clothing. The Japanese in the corporate world frown upon tattoos. Well, long story short, I ended up not getting one. As a matter of fact, I told my wife I wanted to get the one on my chest removed.
You would think I would just leave it alone, but I travel to Japan often, and tattoos are not allowed in bathhouses. We travel to Japan for work and also for some relaxing time; 3 or 4 times a year. I make it a point to either go to a Sento or Onsen. All of them have large signs saying, ‘NO TATTOOS ALLOWED.’
I’m pretty good at concealing the one on my chest, and the one on my leg is fading, and since I’m part Okinawan, I’m dark with hairy skin, which also masks it. The one on my chest stands out though. I’ve been pretty good at concealing my tattoo but recently I’ve been kicked out of the Sento I’ve been visiting for the past five years. I really liked that place, it was next to the hotel we always stay at, so I went just about every night. Now I am going to get it removed, so I don’t have to hide the one on my chest anymore. So, yes… I hate to say it, but I guess she, my wife, was right… again! LOL
WHAT’S TRENDING AND NEW AT SURF BOUTIQUE HAWAIIAN SOUTH SHORE Vissla Boardshorts, cut just above the knees. If you’re still wearing the ones that come to the knees, you need to get a part of Vissla boardshorts. You’ll be thanking me for sure! They are way easier to surf in. Plus, the shorts are made with recycled water bottles and coconut husk. It has some stretch and dries fast.
If you leave these in your car wet, no worries the coconut husk properties are naturally antimicrobial. In other words, no stink the next day!
Libtech x lost collaboration made in heaven.
This one is a Round Nose Fish. This is what pretty much started it all for Lost. Matt was way ahead of his time. It took the rest of the industry almost 15 years to figure out what he was doing for the average surfer to have fun.
mayhemb3_mattbiolos:
Thanks for all the support, David.
hwnsouthshore:
@mayhemb3_mattbiolosfor sure we’re stoked and thanks for the shout out!
One of the many reason we’ve been working with Lost for 16 years now is because of Matt Biolos, the shaper of Lost surfboards. He is a world renown shaper and he still comments, emails and calls to see how things are going. He’s still a grom at heart and we are super stoked to always support the Lost Brand.
They both have been eyeing up the CJ Nelson boards. They purchased an Almond Surfboard a couple years ago and they wanted another Almond. I suggested they give the CJ Nelson Sprout a spin. To be honest, the first time they took it out they were not impressed. The surf was really junk and they were not really getting waves and kind of struggled with the board. Well we finally had a super small bump in town, it was about waist to chest high, so they took the board out again. They came in and ended up buying two CJ Nelson’s. A Guerrero and a Classic model, so they were stoked when they demoed the 2nd time.
Super Stoked one of our good customers dropped off Ishiharaya Plantation Tea Cookies. Oh man they were so good! It was our first time having them, I can’t believe I’ve never had them. They’ve been around since 1920, wow! Here is their address and phone number, go try some for yourself!
94-101 Waipahu Depot St. | Waipahu, HI 96797 | Phone number (808) 671-3175
FISHING, BOATING, AND SURFING WITH OCEAN SHADES
Surfers love to pretend that fashion doesn’t matter. In fact, the casual beach boy aesthetic that has for decades defined us is couched in the very image of someone who doesn’t put much thought into what they are wearing. We are too busy surfing, after all—when would we have time to think about how we look? But for all of our pretenses, the reality is that we are a pretty vain group, and our sunglasses are just one of our many stylized accessories. Funny, then, that we never see them in the surf. After all, nothing is less cool than a cloudy pterygium growing over your iris, yet the very thing that could prevent this is something we tend to avoid.
Thus, Ocean Glasses is determined to change that. They know that nothing is worse than missing a session because your eyes are sunburned, except perhaps for being dry-docked for a week after having a pterygium sanded off your eye. The answer? Sunglasses that not only fit well and look good but can stay on in the water. Ocean Glasses are secured to your face so that they aren’t lost during wipeouts but don’t sacrifice style to accomplish that. Plus, they are impact resistant to prevent damage and come with polarized lenses, which allow you to see into the water better, making your surf experience much more enjoyable. They are UVA and UVB resistant, helping to prevent both sunburn and skin cancer, and can be used for a variety of water sports, including surf-ing, paddling, boating, kayaking, wind and kite surfing, wakeboarding, and even biking and riding motorcycles.
Indeed, we believe in Ocean Glasses, and in the idea of saving our eyes for future sessions, which is why we are now stocking these waterproof, damage-resistant glasses that stay on your face even when you fall off a wave. Check them out today!
LAWS 1 AND 2 By Spencer Chang, MD Sports Medicine Fellowship Trained Orthopaedic Surgeon at Straub Medical Center WSL Orthopaedic Consultant
1. If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.
Might as well surf, and surf regularly. Unless your significant other is a surfer, they probably don’t understand this rule, just show them this article. It’s sort of a doctor’s note, a hall-pass per se. Even when it’s junk, you still need to surf.
Here’s a classic scenario. Surf is junk, so you don’t surf. But really, if you’re going to surf sustainably, you probably should be surfing 2 – 3 times a week and at least 1 – 2 hours a session. So, if you only surf when it’s firing, chances are you’re going to be out of shape when the next swell hits. But when it does, you’re out there, surfing for 2 – 3 hours or maybe longer. Of course, you’re going to be sore the next day. Your back and shoulders hurt, and your hip flexors are tight. They hurt so badly; you need a couple of days to recover. What if you’re on a surf trip? You’d be done after the first day.
Maybe, you overdo it so much, and you sustain a rotator cuff injury.
Solution… Surf regularly. Doctor prescribed.
2. If you don’t use it, you can’t expect to get it back, right away.
Pace yourself. Very difficult to do when the surf is good, right? Like anything physical, you have to build a base. My colleague, Mike Garrison of the Hawaii Running Lab, and former co-coach with me for the University of Hawaii Track and Field Team has a great saying, “Train slow to run fast.” Although it is meant for distance runners, it can be applied to surfing as well.
If you haven’t surfed for a long time, perhaps choose a board with more volume when you start out again. Go at your own pace, and perhaps don’t overdo it. Surf consistently and build a base. Spend a couple of months training before your surf trip. You can’t expect to be at the level you want to be by training for only three weeks.
For an appointment call the Straub Bone and Joint Center at 522-4232. Just say Dave from Hawaiian South Shore sent you! Also, if you have any questions shoot me an e-mail at Skychang@straub.net.
AOMORI’S NEBUTA FESTIVAL The other day when we were eating lunch with friends, one person mentioned a show they saw on Kiku TV. They didn’t know the name, but they said it was mostly about food from different regions in Japan. I knew what it was called because I watch the ones that air in Japan, it’s called the “Himitsu no Kenmin Show” which translates to “Secrets of the Prefectures”. The ones that are being aired in Hawaii are about 10 years old. I can’t believe after all these years, it’s still running, and it doesn’t seem to be losing any steam. It’s amazing to me that the foods from prefecture to prefecture are so different that even after 10 years of broadcasting, it’s still running and still has so much content! It blows me away! It just shows that while foods seem relatively similar from prefecture to prefecture, when you take a closer look, they are totally different! Like for example “Sekihan”, I think most locals have seen this, it’s basically just red bean rice. Just as here in Hawaii and most of Japan, it’s made with just mochi rice (sweet rice) and azuki. But in Aomori, they add sugar and lots of it. Yeah! Not sure how that would taste. I guess it’s more like a dessert. I guess the next time I go to check out Aomori’s Nebuta Festival (summer festival), I will have to eat some.
As a matter of fact, I went to the Nebuta about 5 years ago, but I didn’t know about the Sekihan at the time. Actually, funny story, when I was at the festival, I sat next to some people that looked Japanese but didn’t “look Japanese.” Then I heard them speaking in English. I asked where they were from, and they said they were from Kaimuki! Haha, small world! If you plan on going to Japan, I highly recommend checking out this festival. This year it will be from Thursday, August 2nd - Tuesday, August 7th.
Local teams build the festival’s two dozen floats, which are constructed of painted washi paper over a wire frame and take an entire year to design and construct. They can be up to nine meters wide and five meters tall and often depict gods, historical or mythical figures from both Japanese and Chinese culture, kabuki actors, and characters from the popular NHK Taiga Drama historical TV series. Every night of the festival, the floats are wheeled out onto the streets of downtown Aomori for a parade, except on the last day (August 7), when the parade is held in the afternoon. On the first two nights of the l festival, the parades are somewhat smaller with only about two-thirds of the lantern floats participating. However, on the nights from August 4th to 6th, the parades are in full swing and every float makes an appearance. All the floats are also displayed in the afternoon parade on the last day of the festival before some of the floats are put onto boats and paraded around the bay in the evening.
Finally, a two-hour firework display along the waterfront closes off the festivities. This info is from www.japan-guide.com. Search for “Nebuta Matsuri.” I hope you get to go! Oh, and check out the “Rassera Land” during the day, you can see the floats up close. It’s a really small town so it’s super easy to find.
UPPING THE VOLUME Volume is something that not many people gave much thought to 10 years ago, but these days it’s virtually impossible to buy a new board without hearing about how many liters it has. Volume has become as important as length, width, and thickness—and for good reason, since it is essentially computed by length, width, and thickness! The truth is, volume has always been an important aspect of board design, we just never really talked about it, or realized what it was that was making our boards paddle and surf the way they did. One guy who figured out pretty quick that volume was a relevant part of the discussion was Matt Biolos at …Lost Surfboard. Matt has shaped boards for just about every big name in the surf industry, from Chris Ward, Cory Lopez, and Taj Burrow way back in the day, to modern world tour heroes like Tyler Wright and Kolohe Andino. …Lost is one of the biggest surfboard companies in the world and was one of the first to really bring the focus to volume. In fact, Matt Biolos has been using a volume chart for years, and that chart stresses the importance of body weight to foam ratio. Here at Hawaiian South Shore, we use a similar chart that takes into account your weight and the level that you surf at. By adjusting your boards volume to accommodate these factors, you can find a board that allows you to do everything you want to do, without any self-imposed limitations.
Biolos says that an early conversation with Shea Lopez helped him under-stand the importance of volume. Shea was riding 27-liter boards, and was teasing Matt about his bigger, thicker boards. In the conversation, Matt realized that Shea only weighed 150 pounds, whereas Bio-los weighed 210 pounds. Although Matt’s boards were quite a bit bigger than Shea’s, they actually had pretty close to the same volume-to-weight ratio. Other factors that he realized were pertinent were where you planned to surf, how crowded your waves are (the competition factor), and your age, fitness level, and surfing level.
Over the years, …Lost has become synonymous with fun, fast, rocket-ship-like boards that give the average surfer more volume to help them paddle better and maintain speed through flat spots and weak waves. While much of the world was chasing the glass slipper of Kelly Slater’s mid-1990s ultra-rockered, super anorexic boards, …Lost was bringing hybrid fish to the masses as a fun, efficient alternative. Nearly three decades later, a happy medium has been found, with pro’s riding high-performance boards with a bit more volume, and the average surfer having a blast on anything from pro-style shortboards to skatey, fish-like hybrids, to single-fins, retro fish, and longboards. While no one wants to ride a boat, we are no longer afraid to have a bit of foam in our boards. Volume is no longer a bad word, or even a confusing one—it’s an important part of board design, and one that we have Matt Biolos in part to thank for bringing to our attention.
MEMBER OF THE MONTH Ryan Obrero
When and what got you into surfing?
I started surfing when I was ten years old, and my dad got me into it. He would take me to White Plains a lot and would teach me the basics of longboarding. Eventually, I got better over the years and started branching out to different surf spots along the south shore mostly. When I got a little older and was drawn into the retro-style longboards and the old school surfing style, I started working on cross-stepping and nose riding.
Did you have a time you weren’t surfing? If so, when and why did you start back up?
I stopped surfing when I got into high school to focus on golf, but I started surfing again once I got into college. I used to go surfing early in the morning before my college classes and late in the afternoon after class got out. Nowadays, you’ll find me surfing at Canoes in the late afternoon after I get off work. I also surf every weekend in the morning and afternoon.
Where is your favorite place to eat after you surf and what is your favorite item?
My favorite spot to eat at after I finish surfing is Rainbows Drive-In because I like to eat their plate lunches, especially the curry stew plate.
Outside of surfing what do you do for fun?
Besides surfing, I like to golf and repair surfboards.
What do you do for work?
I work at Family Programs Hawaii as the Director of Finance.
What board did you get from us recently?
I recently purchased the CJ Nelson Sprout (9’6”). I’ve been riding it for the past few weeks, and I love this board. It is a great nose rider, and the weighting is perfect. I love how the board feels light when you carry it but has enough weight to maintain control while getting to the nose.
Why did you decide on this model and size?
I chose this board because I was using the “Donald Takayama - In the Pink” and was looking for an extra board that would ride just as well as the “In the Pink.” I honestly feel that it was a great choice. This board has a retro look that I like, and it has a single fin setup, which is perfect for my style of surfing.
Have you used different fin setups? If so, what fins have you tried on that board?
I’m currently using the Island Fin Design - Leeward fin, but I’ve tried a couple of other fins on this board as well, such as the D-fin and one of the Joel Tudor fins. I’m pretty set on the Leeward fin at the moment, but I’m always trying out different fins depending on what I’m working on when I go out to surf.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Another thing I’m currently doing is volunteering with the Surfrider Spirit Sessions. Surfrider Spirit Sessions is an amazing program that focuses on mentoring at-risk youth in our local community using surfing as a tool to help them make good choices in life so that they can work towards a life that is healthy and happy. We work one-on-one with youth and have meaningful discussions with them on a weekly basis to discuss important life themes and share our life experiences to guide them towards a better tomorrow. Helping to shape the future for these at-risk youth is one of the most important things that I enjoy investing my time in.
WILL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE REVIEW! 5’4” Lost Puddlefish I love this board!! I was looking for a small wave board that could be surfed in high-performance waves & this has gone above & beyond all my expectations. Put a good set of Future Bamboo Controllers in and go shred anything from waist high bowls to 2.4 ft country. It’s fast, really fast, and just powers through mushy flat sections. Put it on rail & it gives you confidence to knife through turns, even on some steeper & bigger surf. A++! - Will W.
THUNDERBOLT TECHNOLOGY FAQ information from https://cjnelsondesigns.com/faq/ CJ Nelson and Harley Ingleby both use Thunderbolt Technology for the construction of their boards. Hawaiian South Shore is the exclusive dealer!
Are your boards handmade?
Absolutely. Every single one of our boards, poly and EPS, are hand built from the ground up. We have some of the best craftsmen in the world working with our brand and we take great pride in our building process.
Who makes your production boards?
Our long-time Japanese friend Yu Sumitomo and his team of builders from Thun-derbolt Technologies Japan are the geniuses behind our production boards. They are 100% the only people in the world building boards of this quality with these performance characteristics.
What’s the difference between eps and poly?
Not that much. A traditional surfboard known as a “poly” board is a board made with a polyurethane foam blank and glassed using polyester resin. An “EPS” surfboard is made out of an expanded polystyrene foam blank and glassed with epoxy resin. Either form of the blank can be used to build a board using nearly the same traditional shaping and lamination processes.
What is the difference in performance between the Carbon and Fiberglass laminations?
The primary performance differences are in the flexural characteristics of each material. Fiberglass is “stretchier” than carbon fiber, so boards laminated with fi-berglass are easier to flex and have a rebound rate that is smooth and consistent. Carbon fibers take more energy to flex but once flexed, the rebound rate is very fast, making the boards accelerate out of turns with added projection.
Lighter surfers will often prefer the fiberglass exterior lamination as they can create more flex and let the internal flex control components of the Thunderbolt blanks come into full play. Heavier surfers who have more ability to flex the carbon fiber boards can get even more power from the carbon fiber rebound.
Surfers at all size can surf the fiberglass laminations and experience the Thunder-bolt projection. Generally, save the carbon fiber boards for larger (175+ pounds) or for chasing barrels.
What kind of fin should I use?
We have recommended fins for all of our models on each of our surfboard product pages.
Do they melt your wax?
No more than any poly board. Dark colors melt wax no matter what the building process is. We highly recommend keeping any and all surfboards in the shade or a bag to get the most life out of them.
Can I leave my board in the car?
It is a bad idea to leave any surfboard in a closed car, where temperatures on hot days can get well above 150 degrees. This is even more important with Epoxy/EPS boards as EPS can actually start melting at 165 degrees or so. Our Thunder-bolt Technologies boards use fused-cell EPS cores in our blanks, so we recom-mend keeping them in quality, vented board covers, and never lock them up in a hot vehicle. These are Ferraris, put a cover on them and park them in the garage when not racing.
Do the boards pressure ding easy?
Our highest priority in building Thunderbolt boards is performance. Fortunately, however, the basic design of our double sandwich construction yields boards that are also very durable. Our Thunderbolt blanks all have interior fiberglass and/or carbon fiber laminations and are encapsulated by thin shells of high-density PVC foam before the external fiberglass or carbon fiber lamination processes. This creates several layers of protection to the board, including deck and pressure dings… much more protection than traditional direct lamination constructions.
How do I repair my board if I ding or smash it?
Life happens and if you need to repair a ding, use the same repair process as with any Epoxy board. Epoxy resin only(!) is the key thing to remember. We rec-ommend using a professional to repair boards to keep them as close to original condition as possible.
DEMO BOARDS AVAILABLE TO TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!
FOLLOW @hwnsouthshore ON INSTAGRAM!
@sundaze_808 with @instarepost_app -- She’s following me! My new board from @hwnsouthshore go see Brett he will get you into the exact board your soul requires. This guy is such a surf geek..... so much knowledge. The entire crew there absolutely ROCKS!
I’m pretty good at concealing the one on my chest, and the one on my leg is fading, and since I’m part Okinawan, I’m dark with hairy skin, which also masks it. The one on my chest stands out though. I’ve been pretty good at concealing my tattoo but recently I’ve been kicked out of the Sento I’ve been visiting for the past five years. I really liked that place, it was next to the hotel we always stay at, so I went just about every night. Now I am going to get it removed, so I don’t have to hide the one on my chest anymore. So, yes… I hate to say it, but I guess she, my wife, was right… again! LOL
WHAT’S TRENDING AND NEW AT SURF BOUTIQUE HAWAIIAN SOUTH SHORE Vissla Boardshorts, cut just above the knees. If you’re still wearing the ones that come to the knees, you need to get a part of Vissla boardshorts. You’ll be thanking me for sure! They are way easier to surf in. Plus, the shorts are made with recycled water bottles and coconut husk. It has some stretch and dries fast.
If you leave these in your car wet, no worries the coconut husk properties are naturally antimicrobial. In other words, no stink the next day!
Libtech x lost collaboration made in heaven.
This one is a Round Nose Fish. This is what pretty much started it all for Lost. Matt was way ahead of his time. It took the rest of the industry almost 15 years to figure out what he was doing for the average surfer to have fun.
mayhemb3_mattbiolos:
Thanks for all the support, David.
hwnsouthshore:
@mayhemb3_mattbiolosfor sure we’re stoked and thanks for the shout out!
One of the many reason we’ve been working with Lost for 16 years now is because of Matt Biolos, the shaper of Lost surfboards. He is a world renown shaper and he still comments, emails and calls to see how things are going. He’s still a grom at heart and we are super stoked to always support the Lost Brand.
They both have been eyeing up the CJ Nelson boards. They purchased an Almond Surfboard a couple years ago and they wanted another Almond. I suggested they give the CJ Nelson Sprout a spin. To be honest, the first time they took it out they were not impressed. The surf was really junk and they were not really getting waves and kind of struggled with the board. Well we finally had a super small bump in town, it was about waist to chest high, so they took the board out again. They came in and ended up buying two CJ Nelson’s. A Guerrero and a Classic model, so they were stoked when they demoed the 2nd time.
Super Stoked one of our good customers dropped off Ishiharaya Plantation Tea Cookies. Oh man they were so good! It was our first time having them, I can’t believe I’ve never had them. They’ve been around since 1920, wow! Here is their address and phone number, go try some for yourself!
94-101 Waipahu Depot St. | Waipahu, HI 96797 | Phone number (808) 671-3175
FISHING, BOATING, AND SURFING WITH OCEAN SHADES
Surfers love to pretend that fashion doesn’t matter. In fact, the casual beach boy aesthetic that has for decades defined us is couched in the very image of someone who doesn’t put much thought into what they are wearing. We are too busy surfing, after all—when would we have time to think about how we look? But for all of our pretenses, the reality is that we are a pretty vain group, and our sunglasses are just one of our many stylized accessories. Funny, then, that we never see them in the surf. After all, nothing is less cool than a cloudy pterygium growing over your iris, yet the very thing that could prevent this is something we tend to avoid.
Thus, Ocean Glasses is determined to change that. They know that nothing is worse than missing a session because your eyes are sunburned, except perhaps for being dry-docked for a week after having a pterygium sanded off your eye. The answer? Sunglasses that not only fit well and look good but can stay on in the water. Ocean Glasses are secured to your face so that they aren’t lost during wipeouts but don’t sacrifice style to accomplish that. Plus, they are impact resistant to prevent damage and come with polarized lenses, which allow you to see into the water better, making your surf experience much more enjoyable. They are UVA and UVB resistant, helping to prevent both sunburn and skin cancer, and can be used for a variety of water sports, including surf-ing, paddling, boating, kayaking, wind and kite surfing, wakeboarding, and even biking and riding motorcycles.
Indeed, we believe in Ocean Glasses, and in the idea of saving our eyes for future sessions, which is why we are now stocking these waterproof, damage-resistant glasses that stay on your face even when you fall off a wave. Check them out today!
LAWS 1 AND 2 By Spencer Chang, MD Sports Medicine Fellowship Trained Orthopaedic Surgeon at Straub Medical Center WSL Orthopaedic Consultant
1. If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.
Might as well surf, and surf regularly. Unless your significant other is a surfer, they probably don’t understand this rule, just show them this article. It’s sort of a doctor’s note, a hall-pass per se. Even when it’s junk, you still need to surf.
Here’s a classic scenario. Surf is junk, so you don’t surf. But really, if you’re going to surf sustainably, you probably should be surfing 2 – 3 times a week and at least 1 – 2 hours a session. So, if you only surf when it’s firing, chances are you’re going to be out of shape when the next swell hits. But when it does, you’re out there, surfing for 2 – 3 hours or maybe longer. Of course, you’re going to be sore the next day. Your back and shoulders hurt, and your hip flexors are tight. They hurt so badly; you need a couple of days to recover. What if you’re on a surf trip? You’d be done after the first day.
Maybe, you overdo it so much, and you sustain a rotator cuff injury.
Solution… Surf regularly. Doctor prescribed.
2. If you don’t use it, you can’t expect to get it back, right away.
Pace yourself. Very difficult to do when the surf is good, right? Like anything physical, you have to build a base. My colleague, Mike Garrison of the Hawaii Running Lab, and former co-coach with me for the University of Hawaii Track and Field Team has a great saying, “Train slow to run fast.” Although it is meant for distance runners, it can be applied to surfing as well.
If you haven’t surfed for a long time, perhaps choose a board with more volume when you start out again. Go at your own pace, and perhaps don’t overdo it. Surf consistently and build a base. Spend a couple of months training before your surf trip. You can’t expect to be at the level you want to be by training for only three weeks.
For an appointment call the Straub Bone and Joint Center at 522-4232. Just say Dave from Hawaiian South Shore sent you! Also, if you have any questions shoot me an e-mail at Skychang@straub.net.
AOMORI’S NEBUTA FESTIVAL The other day when we were eating lunch with friends, one person mentioned a show they saw on Kiku TV. They didn’t know the name, but they said it was mostly about food from different regions in Japan. I knew what it was called because I watch the ones that air in Japan, it’s called the “Himitsu no Kenmin Show” which translates to “Secrets of the Prefectures”. The ones that are being aired in Hawaii are about 10 years old. I can’t believe after all these years, it’s still running, and it doesn’t seem to be losing any steam. It’s amazing to me that the foods from prefecture to prefecture are so different that even after 10 years of broadcasting, it’s still running and still has so much content! It blows me away! It just shows that while foods seem relatively similar from prefecture to prefecture, when you take a closer look, they are totally different! Like for example “Sekihan”, I think most locals have seen this, it’s basically just red bean rice. Just as here in Hawaii and most of Japan, it’s made with just mochi rice (sweet rice) and azuki. But in Aomori, they add sugar and lots of it. Yeah! Not sure how that would taste. I guess it’s more like a dessert. I guess the next time I go to check out Aomori’s Nebuta Festival (summer festival), I will have to eat some.
As a matter of fact, I went to the Nebuta about 5 years ago, but I didn’t know about the Sekihan at the time. Actually, funny story, when I was at the festival, I sat next to some people that looked Japanese but didn’t “look Japanese.” Then I heard them speaking in English. I asked where they were from, and they said they were from Kaimuki! Haha, small world! If you plan on going to Japan, I highly recommend checking out this festival. This year it will be from Thursday, August 2nd - Tuesday, August 7th.
Local teams build the festival’s two dozen floats, which are constructed of painted washi paper over a wire frame and take an entire year to design and construct. They can be up to nine meters wide and five meters tall and often depict gods, historical or mythical figures from both Japanese and Chinese culture, kabuki actors, and characters from the popular NHK Taiga Drama historical TV series. Every night of the festival, the floats are wheeled out onto the streets of downtown Aomori for a parade, except on the last day (August 7), when the parade is held in the afternoon. On the first two nights of the l festival, the parades are somewhat smaller with only about two-thirds of the lantern floats participating. However, on the nights from August 4th to 6th, the parades are in full swing and every float makes an appearance. All the floats are also displayed in the afternoon parade on the last day of the festival before some of the floats are put onto boats and paraded around the bay in the evening.
Finally, a two-hour firework display along the waterfront closes off the festivities. This info is from www.japan-guide.com. Search for “Nebuta Matsuri.” I hope you get to go! Oh, and check out the “Rassera Land” during the day, you can see the floats up close. It’s a really small town so it’s super easy to find.
UPPING THE VOLUME Volume is something that not many people gave much thought to 10 years ago, but these days it’s virtually impossible to buy a new board without hearing about how many liters it has. Volume has become as important as length, width, and thickness—and for good reason, since it is essentially computed by length, width, and thickness! The truth is, volume has always been an important aspect of board design, we just never really talked about it, or realized what it was that was making our boards paddle and surf the way they did. One guy who figured out pretty quick that volume was a relevant part of the discussion was Matt Biolos at …Lost Surfboard. Matt has shaped boards for just about every big name in the surf industry, from Chris Ward, Cory Lopez, and Taj Burrow way back in the day, to modern world tour heroes like Tyler Wright and Kolohe Andino. …Lost is one of the biggest surfboard companies in the world and was one of the first to really bring the focus to volume. In fact, Matt Biolos has been using a volume chart for years, and that chart stresses the importance of body weight to foam ratio. Here at Hawaiian South Shore, we use a similar chart that takes into account your weight and the level that you surf at. By adjusting your boards volume to accommodate these factors, you can find a board that allows you to do everything you want to do, without any self-imposed limitations.
Biolos says that an early conversation with Shea Lopez helped him under-stand the importance of volume. Shea was riding 27-liter boards, and was teasing Matt about his bigger, thicker boards. In the conversation, Matt realized that Shea only weighed 150 pounds, whereas Bio-los weighed 210 pounds. Although Matt’s boards were quite a bit bigger than Shea’s, they actually had pretty close to the same volume-to-weight ratio. Other factors that he realized were pertinent were where you planned to surf, how crowded your waves are (the competition factor), and your age, fitness level, and surfing level.
Over the years, …Lost has become synonymous with fun, fast, rocket-ship-like boards that give the average surfer more volume to help them paddle better and maintain speed through flat spots and weak waves. While much of the world was chasing the glass slipper of Kelly Slater’s mid-1990s ultra-rockered, super anorexic boards, …Lost was bringing hybrid fish to the masses as a fun, efficient alternative. Nearly three decades later, a happy medium has been found, with pro’s riding high-performance boards with a bit more volume, and the average surfer having a blast on anything from pro-style shortboards to skatey, fish-like hybrids, to single-fins, retro fish, and longboards. While no one wants to ride a boat, we are no longer afraid to have a bit of foam in our boards. Volume is no longer a bad word, or even a confusing one—it’s an important part of board design, and one that we have Matt Biolos in part to thank for bringing to our attention.
MEMBER OF THE MONTH Ryan Obrero
When and what got you into surfing?
I started surfing when I was ten years old, and my dad got me into it. He would take me to White Plains a lot and would teach me the basics of longboarding. Eventually, I got better over the years and started branching out to different surf spots along the south shore mostly. When I got a little older and was drawn into the retro-style longboards and the old school surfing style, I started working on cross-stepping and nose riding.
Did you have a time you weren’t surfing? If so, when and why did you start back up?
I stopped surfing when I got into high school to focus on golf, but I started surfing again once I got into college. I used to go surfing early in the morning before my college classes and late in the afternoon after class got out. Nowadays, you’ll find me surfing at Canoes in the late afternoon after I get off work. I also surf every weekend in the morning and afternoon.
Where is your favorite place to eat after you surf and what is your favorite item?
My favorite spot to eat at after I finish surfing is Rainbows Drive-In because I like to eat their plate lunches, especially the curry stew plate.
Outside of surfing what do you do for fun?
Besides surfing, I like to golf and repair surfboards.
What do you do for work?
I work at Family Programs Hawaii as the Director of Finance.
What board did you get from us recently?
I recently purchased the CJ Nelson Sprout (9’6”). I’ve been riding it for the past few weeks, and I love this board. It is a great nose rider, and the weighting is perfect. I love how the board feels light when you carry it but has enough weight to maintain control while getting to the nose.
Why did you decide on this model and size?
I chose this board because I was using the “Donald Takayama - In the Pink” and was looking for an extra board that would ride just as well as the “In the Pink.” I honestly feel that it was a great choice. This board has a retro look that I like, and it has a single fin setup, which is perfect for my style of surfing.
Have you used different fin setups? If so, what fins have you tried on that board?
I’m currently using the Island Fin Design - Leeward fin, but I’ve tried a couple of other fins on this board as well, such as the D-fin and one of the Joel Tudor fins. I’m pretty set on the Leeward fin at the moment, but I’m always trying out different fins depending on what I’m working on when I go out to surf.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Another thing I’m currently doing is volunteering with the Surfrider Spirit Sessions. Surfrider Spirit Sessions is an amazing program that focuses on mentoring at-risk youth in our local community using surfing as a tool to help them make good choices in life so that they can work towards a life that is healthy and happy. We work one-on-one with youth and have meaningful discussions with them on a weekly basis to discuss important life themes and share our life experiences to guide them towards a better tomorrow. Helping to shape the future for these at-risk youth is one of the most important things that I enjoy investing my time in.
WILL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE REVIEW! 5’4” Lost Puddlefish I love this board!! I was looking for a small wave board that could be surfed in high-performance waves & this has gone above & beyond all my expectations. Put a good set of Future Bamboo Controllers in and go shred anything from waist high bowls to 2.4 ft country. It’s fast, really fast, and just powers through mushy flat sections. Put it on rail & it gives you confidence to knife through turns, even on some steeper & bigger surf. A++! - Will W.
THUNDERBOLT TECHNOLOGY FAQ information from https://cjnelsondesigns.com/faq/ CJ Nelson and Harley Ingleby both use Thunderbolt Technology for the construction of their boards. Hawaiian South Shore is the exclusive dealer!
Are your boards handmade?
Absolutely. Every single one of our boards, poly and EPS, are hand built from the ground up. We have some of the best craftsmen in the world working with our brand and we take great pride in our building process.
Who makes your production boards?
Our long-time Japanese friend Yu Sumitomo and his team of builders from Thun-derbolt Technologies Japan are the geniuses behind our production boards. They are 100% the only people in the world building boards of this quality with these performance characteristics.
What’s the difference between eps and poly?
Not that much. A traditional surfboard known as a “poly” board is a board made with a polyurethane foam blank and glassed using polyester resin. An “EPS” surfboard is made out of an expanded polystyrene foam blank and glassed with epoxy resin. Either form of the blank can be used to build a board using nearly the same traditional shaping and lamination processes.
What is the difference in performance between the Carbon and Fiberglass laminations?
The primary performance differences are in the flexural characteristics of each material. Fiberglass is “stretchier” than carbon fiber, so boards laminated with fi-berglass are easier to flex and have a rebound rate that is smooth and consistent. Carbon fibers take more energy to flex but once flexed, the rebound rate is very fast, making the boards accelerate out of turns with added projection.
Lighter surfers will often prefer the fiberglass exterior lamination as they can create more flex and let the internal flex control components of the Thunderbolt blanks come into full play. Heavier surfers who have more ability to flex the carbon fiber boards can get even more power from the carbon fiber rebound.
Surfers at all size can surf the fiberglass laminations and experience the Thunder-bolt projection. Generally, save the carbon fiber boards for larger (175+ pounds) or for chasing barrels.
What kind of fin should I use?
We have recommended fins for all of our models on each of our surfboard product pages.
Do they melt your wax?
No more than any poly board. Dark colors melt wax no matter what the building process is. We highly recommend keeping any and all surfboards in the shade or a bag to get the most life out of them.
Can I leave my board in the car?
It is a bad idea to leave any surfboard in a closed car, where temperatures on hot days can get well above 150 degrees. This is even more important with Epoxy/EPS boards as EPS can actually start melting at 165 degrees or so. Our Thunder-bolt Technologies boards use fused-cell EPS cores in our blanks, so we recom-mend keeping them in quality, vented board covers, and never lock them up in a hot vehicle. These are Ferraris, put a cover on them and park them in the garage when not racing.
Do the boards pressure ding easy?
Our highest priority in building Thunderbolt boards is performance. Fortunately, however, the basic design of our double sandwich construction yields boards that are also very durable. Our Thunderbolt blanks all have interior fiberglass and/or carbon fiber laminations and are encapsulated by thin shells of high-density PVC foam before the external fiberglass or carbon fiber lamination processes. This creates several layers of protection to the board, including deck and pressure dings… much more protection than traditional direct lamination constructions.
How do I repair my board if I ding or smash it?
Life happens and if you need to repair a ding, use the same repair process as with any Epoxy board. Epoxy resin only(!) is the key thing to remember. We rec-ommend using a professional to repair boards to keep them as close to original condition as possible.
DEMO BOARDS AVAILABLE TO TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!
For our Rewards Members!
Libtech Puddle Jumper 5’5 (2), 5’7, 5’9, 5’11 (2) Round Nose Fish 5’6 Short Round 5’10 Sub Buggy 6’0 Nude Bowl 5’11 Extension Ramp – 6’6 Pick Up Stick – 7’0 Stewart Redline 11 9’0 x 24 ½ x 3 ½ 9’0 x 22 x 2 ¾ 9’0 x 23 x 3 ¼ Stewart Funline 11 8’0 x 23 x 3 ½ CJ Nelson Sprout 9’6 Harley Ingleby Cruiser 9’5 Harley Ingleby Diamond Drive 9’2 Corey Colapintail 8’3
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@sundaze_808 with @instarepost_app -- She’s following me! My new board from @hwnsouthshore go see Brett he will get you into the exact board your soul requires. This guy is such a surf geek..... so much knowledge. The entire crew there absolutely ROCKS!