SUP Surfing with Ekolu Kalama at Sunset Beach – Video

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A few months ago I got in a SUP surf session with Ekolu Kalama at Sunset Beach, North Shore, Hawaii. I got in touch with Ekolu on a Tuesday and he called me to say that he would be in Oahu getting ready for a humanitarian trip and sup movie they are filming in Honduras and El Salvador. He was going to be here from Thursday to Tuesday which coincided with a huge north swell that had come in with I think about 20′ face type waves with really good conditions, light winds and just pristine weather.

ekolu_kalama_at_sunset_beach-01.jpg               Ekolu taking his 9’0” Starboard Superfish SUP out of the bag along with his paddle

 

ekolu_kalama_at_sunset_beach-02.jpg    Ekolu checking out the surf with his 9’0” Starboard Superfish SUP

 
We talked and had a busy week but we decided to connect on Sunday. We decided to meet at Puena Point as I didn’t want to go into really big surf. I think double over head is normally my limit and there were still some remnants of the big swell that had come in from the north during the week.

ekolu_kalama_at_sunset_beach-04.jpg            Ekolu doing his best “Baywatch” walk

 

ekolu_kalama_at_sunset_beach-08.jpg           Ekolu Kalama paddling out in big Sunset Beach

 
When I got out at 6 a.m, I started driving and got to North Shore about 7 in the morning and I went to go check out Puena Point which was about head high or so and only breaking on the inside part in kind of a small area. I don’t even think the point was breaking and it was already starting to get crowded. That’s when I got a call from Ekolu and he said that he didn’t have a ride. The guy whom he was staying with had to go somewhere and he was staying in a house near Sunset Beach. When it’s big, I never go to Sunset Beach. I don’t want to get pounded.

I told him, “if it’s pretty decent out there, why don’t we just go to Sunset Beach where I can shoot some videos and we’ll see how it goes, because Puena Point was pretty small and crowded.” So we ended up at Sunset Beach and as I was driving past it to pick him up, I saw the wave just coming in, just roping right down the line and there were only about five people in the surf.

I was thinking to myself, “I’m not paddling out in that. It’s too big for me.”

But when I picked up Ekolu and we stopped by Sunset Beach he said, “It’s perfect. Let’s go, let’s go.”

I said ok whatever, I’ll go.” And this is where this video starts.

 


(click thumbnail to launch video)

 

ekolu_kalama_at_sunset_beach-07.jpg            Ekolu paddling out, and a surfer dropping in from behind

 

ekolu_kalama_at_sunset_beach-06.jpg         Ekolu Kalama paddling back out

 
I actually ended up catching some of the biggest waves I’ve paddled into so far. The first wave I caught started to close out and I straightened out and actually rode it all the way to shore and walked back up the beach. I was on a Joe Blair 10′6″ and it saved me that day. Once it started to get crowded we left and went to eat breakfast at Ted’s Bakery.

 

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2 Responses to “SUP Surfing with Ekolu Kalama at Sunset Beach – Video”


  1. DW 1DW

    Nice video. Your brothers music sounds great with the video. I’d use his music with the beginning and end segments too. That other music, almost ruined it. :-)

  1. [...] guys over at http://www.standuppaddlesurf.net/ posted this awesome video of Ekolu Kalama at Sunset Beach on the North Shore. With a good 20′ [...]

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