Sion Milosky's Last Session

EDIT: after contacting Eric W. Nelson of Powerlines Productions I made some changes to this story in order to reflect more accurately what happened on this faithful day



Sion had been charging all day

On Wednesday, March 16, Tomo and I left San Francisco around 3:30 pm, heading towards Santa Cruz. The surf at Ocean Beach was downright scary, triple overhead bombs blasting all over the beach, no lineup and no surfers in the water. As we drove down the coast, the surf was pounding hard everywhere: Pacifica, Rockaway, Linda Mar... No one was in the water as the conditions were terrible with 20 to 30 mph winds blowing.

As we drove by Half-Moon bay, we decided to go check out Maverick's, the premier big wave surfing spot on the continental USA. I didn't expect it to break, or to see any surfers out as the winds were so insanely strong. However, to my surprise, as we climbed up the cliff we realized that not only was it breaking, but there were about 20 people in the lineup and 6 or 7 guys on jet skis.



the surfers had to keep paddling as the peak was constantly shifting

The only other person on the cliff was Eric W. Nelson, the filmaker and photographer who has been shooting Maverick's for the past 20+ years. The waves were HUGE. On the biggest sets the height of the faces reached what seemed at least 40 to 50 feet. Unfortunately, we were not able to take pics of the surfers as they were catching the wave since we could not see them because of the glare from the sun. We could only see the surfers well after they had taken off.



giant party wave



nice bottom turn!

Eric was informing us that the conditions were less than ideal, which we had already figured out on our own. Very strong currents were pushing through the line ups and rogue waves were forming at weird locations outside the main peak. He said that in all of his years filming Mav's, he had never seen the peak shift so dramatically. He also told us that besides the locals, including Skindog Collins, a crew from Hawai'i was in the water: Danny Fuller, Nathan Fletcher and Sion Milosky.

While I couldn't distinguish the individual surfers, Sion was easy to recognize because of his goofyfoot stance and how hard he was charging. He was on every big wave of every big set.



two guys racing to make the corner

All of a sudden, a giant set showed up on the horizon, bigger than anything we had seen all day. One courageous hellman took off, made the 50+ feet drop, made the critical bottom turn but then disaster struck... He could not set his line as the giant wave mauled him down. "Oh no, this is not looking good" yelled Erik. I had not seen him worry about any of the other wipeouts, so I knew this was serious. As we were trying to locate the surfer resurfacing or his board (I could not see it because of the glare) 3 other waves, at least as big as the first one came crashing down on him.



one of the waves that pilled up on top of the unlucky surfer

At we could still not see whether the unlucky surfer had come back up or not Eric said that he probably resurfaced since none of the jet skis raced in to pick him up. Big wave surfers usually go out in teams with one guy surfing, while another one or two guys are on a jet ski ready to dart in and save the fallen surfer from the white water.

Unfortunately for Sion Milosky later in the day, his jet ski partner, Nathan Fletcher, was not in the lineup when the horrendous wipeout happened. We had just seen him moments before we left our viewpoint on the cliff drop off another surfer by the beach, then drive towards the harbor. I later found out he was going to pick up new, longer boards which were needed to handle this monster session. Thinking everything was alright, and already chilled to the bone from standing on the cliff for 2 hours, Tomo and I left Eric and Half-Moon Bay around 5:55 pm. As we arrived in Santa Cruz and checked Surfline for next day's forecast, we learned the terrible news: Sion's body was found lifeless by the jetty.



Maverick's is not the friendliest place to surf, to put it mildly



unfortunately Mav's claimed another victim, and another Hawai'ian, on this sad day

Rest In Peace Sion, all of our prayers go the the wife and two children that you left behind.

Surfing and Sunsets

Location: Windan'Sea, La Jolla




I caught a cold so I haven't been able to jump in the water these last few days. Getting ready for the next swell though!



Old man doing his thing




smooth turn




smooth turn no.2




Nice!




Nice air dude!

Winter Time in SoCal part II: La Jolla

La Jolla, also known as the "Jewell of California" is a city located directly north of the San Diego neighborhood of Pacific Beach. It is famous for its great surf breaks (mostly reefs or rocky bottoms) and insanely expensive real estate (in fact, with an average house price of $1,800,000 it is the MOST expensive city in the US according to Bloomeberg).

Of course, I am a lot more interested in the beaches and the surf that I am in the multi-million dollars properties dotting its cliffs. The following photos are just a small sample of what La Jolla has to offer.



Winter time means no tourists... This guy gets to enjoy the entire beach by himself, south of Bird Rock




Meditation moment on the cliffs




South Windan'Sea/Big Rock




SoCal is not all palm trees and desert. Anything can grow here, like this huge pine tree




Windan'Sea, possibly the best wave in San Diego County (not really firing on this day though)





Strollin' through the neighborhood. Somewhere in La Jolla




Windan'Sea Beach




Groms are always tearing up Windan'




Even this little chipmonk came out of his burrow to enjoy the sun




Longboarding Big Rock! When it's on, this is one of the heaviest waves in SD county

Winter Time in SoCal part I: Mission Beach and Pacific Beach

view of Crystal Pier from North Pacific Beach


Since my last update, I have traveled back to the United States, then Hawai'i, then drove cross-country from Detroit to San Diego, where I am staying at the moment.

My favorite things about Southern California are the surf and the weather. People form other parts of the country sometimes ask "how much of a difference does the weather really make?"

Well, for those of you who spend the winter braving snow storms, blizzards, freezing temperatures, fog, hail or endless rain, take a look at the pictures below and answer that question for yourself...



my apartment building




on the way to the beach




Mission Beach, looking towards Point Loma (the hill on the far left) and Ocean Beach (far right)




Crystal Pier viewed from Mission Beach




Kite surfer, Mission Beach




the cliffs at Law Street, North Pacific Beach




North Pacific Beach, from Law Street to Tourmaline




kite surfer at Law Street

Return Trip to Niijima

The Island of Niijima stayed in my heart ever since our first trip there over the summer with Alex (Part 1/Part 2). I felt that I didn't spend enough time exploring when I first went there, so I was eager to return and see more of it. So eager in fact that I organized a trip there over Golden Week with Tomo, Miyuki and Nao, a friend I met playing soccer in 乃木坂 (Nogizaka).



Nice barrel at Habushi Beach


When Tomo and I arrived there, the waves at Habushi beach (where they held the last Pro Surf Tour event on the Island in 2003) were big, probably in the 8ft (2.5m) range. Habushi is a really heavy and fast break, so dropping in can be a problem. The wind blowing like crazy just made matters worst that morning. In fact, when I arrived to the beach there were only 3 surfers in the water (later I would find out that most people were surfing another break that was breaking perfectly). I still went in but didn't catch more than 2 waves before I felt my body going stiff from the cold water. I only had a 3/2 wetsuit with short sleeves and I had to wear a rash guard underneath, booties and gloves. Most of the Japanese surfers were wearing 5/3 winter wetsuits.



This crazy guy, though was not wearing anything! He jumped in the water on a board borrowed from some guy on the beach in just a pair of speedos.

In the next few days, the size went down considerably, but it actually made the break more surfable and it got packed! Since it was Golden Week, every serious surfer in Tokyo made the trip down to the Island. Compared to last summer, when there were only maybe 5 or 6 guys in the water all day long, the difference was unbelievable. At times it even looked like a crowded day in Chiba!

All my thanks go to my extremely talented personal photographer, Tomo, for these photos:



Paddle, paddle, paddle...






A late drop-in




Best shot of the day

Summer Trip to Niijima Part 2

I just returned to Niijima over the last few days. But I cannot tell that story yet, as I never finished writing about my first trip to the Island! You can find the first part here.



The Main Gate, an absurd monument/lifeguard station overlooking Habushi


After a morning of surfing (and sleeping on the beach for Alex), we headed to the only restaurant within walking distance of Habushi Beach: Habushi Surf Station. The food was not great (we each had a Karage Beef Curry-a Japanese curry with 3 small pieces of fried chicken) but we were so hungry we didn't care.

There we met an older German guy who had been visiting the island for a few days. From him we learned that there was no night ship going back to Tokyo! To stick to our our original plan of returning that same day, we had to catch the 14:50 jet ferry. But we needed reservations for it! We asked one of the ladies working at the restaurant to help us (luckily she spoke some English) and she called the boat company for us. Unfortunately there were no more seats available. We were stuck on Niijima! She did make reservations for us on the next morning slow ferry, so at least we had a way out.



View of the Niijima mountains from the Surf Station


Our money situation was quite desperate as we had not planned for an extended trip. We had just enough cash left for the tickets back! With nothing better to do, we returned to the beach, where I spent the next few hours surfing while Alex socialized with some of the locals.

Without any means of transportation or phone signal to call a cab, we left the beach on foot, ready for the long trek back to the other side of the island where the town is. Luckily, a couple surfers I had met earlier in the water drove by us and picked us up... in a pink Hello Kitty car!



The Hello Kitty van that saved us

We were ready to spend the night sleeping on the beach as it never crossed our minds that we could find an ATM that would accept US cards on Niijima. But we didn't think of the Post Office! The Hello Kitty guys dropped us off right in front of it: now we could afford a room for the night!

The closest accommodation to us was "Tade", where a very nice lady welcomed us. It is not quite a hotel, as the owners live on the premises and their rooms are mingled with the rental rooms. But everything is top quality in a traditional Japanese setting with tatami rooms and futon beds. The owners of the place really go out of their way to make sure their guests enjoy their stay. They even offered to cook us dinner, but we declined as we wanted to explore the town on our own.

We had a good dinner of grilled skid and fried chicken with rice at Torikatsu, where the Niijima pro surfers had gathered to talk about the Tochi Cup, the annual Tokyo surf cup held on the island. After dinner we headed to the only proper bar on the island for a drink. On our way back, to our surprise, we met the lady from Habushi Surf Station, who was walking alone, crying.

When she saw us she cheered up, and when we told her we were staying at Tade she became very happy, as she is good friends with the owners. So we all went back. At the hotel, everyone was gathered in the courtyard, drinking and socializing. As one of the locals offered to drive me to the beach the next morning at 5:00, I could not stay too late, but Alex saved the honor of the family by partying it up!



Partying at Tade with the owners and their friends


Sadly, the next morning the wind was out of control... The break was completely blown out, so I didn't even bother to get in the water. But I promised myself that I would return to Niijima one day for some more surf sessions!



Small island next to the harbor that you can walk to at low tide

Spring time in Japan means hanami time!

花見 (hanami), literally translated as "flower viewing", is a traditional Japanese event that takes place in the spring. It consists of a picnic under the cherry trees, which are blossoming with millions of tiny white flowers. People put pieces of tarp on the grass directly underneath the trees, then set up food and drinks in the middle as the guest sit around it. The hanami is an event that transcends gender, age and social boundaries, which makes for an interesting mix: you can see shoulder to shoulder families with babies crawling around, businessmen in suits gathered around a chef cooking fresh food on the spot, rowdy university students yelling at each other after drinking too much...

This spring I was lucky enough to view the 桜 (sakura), or cherry blossom, in some of the most famous spots around Japan: Yoyogi park in Tokyo, Sakuranomiya in Osaka, Gion in Kyoto and at Himeji Castle. I hope you enjoy the pics!



With Tomo, Taku and some of his friends in Yoyogi Park




Typical layout of a hanami at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo




Sakura at dusk




Yoyogi Park gets really crowded on the first weekend of sakura




Riverbank sakura in Osaka




Sakura snow




View of sakura from the top of Osaka castle




Cherry tree inside Himeji castle