Labor Day Weekend: Surf n'fun in the sun!

This turned out to be actually a 4-day weekend for the girls. Friday their school didn't have classes. We spent a good part of the weekend in our favorite beach: Honoli'i, aka the surfing beach.

It's funny how the girls have changed. When we first moved here they were kind of scared or intimidated by the sea, they would not be too keen into going swimming in the ocean. Little by little they started to loose that fear and started to venture in the water.

They tried surfing in Waikiki earlier this year and they loved it. However, when it came to trying it here in the local surfing beach, well, lets say that they were less than enthusiastic about it. I could not drag them to Honoli'i no matter what. They would say that the waves were to big, or too rough, or the beach too rocky (this last part is true)...in any case, they said that they just plain didn't like Honoli'i!

Then one day we met one of Syd's friends there from soccer. She is Syd's age (and size), she is from Australia and a very good surfer. So Syd and her friend took up the boogie boards (and Hana of course tagged along) and in one morning the metamorphosis took place. Both Syd and Hana now LOVE boogie boarding, and LOVE going to Honoli'i. The best thing is that Honoli'i is less than 10 minutes away from home. So even on a school day after school if it's hot we can go for a quick session of wave riding. Syd's now even standing on her boogie board and Hana is catching waves that are two to three times her size with a grin that goes ear to ear....

This weekend Charlotte also took up on the surfboard and is making good progress. She now wants a board of her own for Xmas! We'll be the surfing Romos by this time next year.

Honoli'i is on the Hamakua coast, about 3 miles (if even) North of Hilo. It is a small beack park with a nice grassy area with picnic tables and a rocky beach where a river comes in. It is the best local surfing beach and surfers of all levels go there every day all day long.

We'll try to get more pictures and video of everyone riding the waves, in the meantime here is a short video compilation of the girls playing in the waves. See Hana trying to ride a wave with no hands, the wave pulls the board right under her belly......what a nutcase!