u/eclipsegum

1. Don't grab the rails when you go to stand up, push up with your palms
2. Don't paddle in a windmill motion, keep your elbows up high and forward and try to keep you arms and hands vertical to maximize pushing water backwards, not down or up
3. Ride a wave then paddle back out to the side in a loop, don't just turn back around and try to paddle through white water
4. Being 2 or 3 feet off in your positioning means you probably won't catch the wave no matter how fast you paddle, find the peak and position yourself there
5. Take an extra moment in cobra pose while catching the wave to make sure I really have it before popping up
6. I need to work on agility so I can paddle towards a wave as long as possible to observe it before quickly turning around and catching it - any tricks on how to turn a 10ft foamie around quickly? Take me 3-5 seconds just to turn it around and it's exhausting already

I'm sure I'm doing a ton of other things wrong but these are the ones I'm going to try to fix in my next few sessions

Went out at Canoes in Oahu for day 3 today, and it was a huge breakthrough! Got some great advice from everybody here that made a huge difference

1. 10 ft foamie is a cheat code. Yesterday I went on my 8 ft Costco foamie and I was wobbling around NOT having a good time. Took a 10 ft foamie out and it changed everything. Paddling was way easier, felt totally stable, even sat up and practiced letting the front come up to rotate the board a bit to move from watching the horizon to paddling position. I'm staying on the 10 ft foamie until I have everything locked in solid, probably at least a month or two.
2. Paddling got WAY easier today. I started to figure out how to do it more efficiently, keeping my arms closer to the board, keeping my hands closed and focusing on slower more efficient paddles, to get a gliding motion with each stroke. I also experimented with moving forward and back on the board to find the best spot to trim the board. Back and shoulders barely sore today, because I took breaks. Paddle out, sit up, paddle for a wave, paddle back, sit up, give myself a breather for 5-10 minutes. Way more enjoyable than the CONSTANT paddling during my lesson.
3. I caught 4 waves on my own. It felt great. I tried to learn from each one because even though I stood up, I could tell I still wasn't standing in the best spot on the board. I also think I stood up later than I should have because a wave or two passed under me. Next time I'm going to focus on getting lower, keeping my eyes forward where I'm headed. One ride was down the line and that felt great, not heading straight to the beach.
4. Most of the time I was in the wrong spot. Way too far to the right. I could tell where the peak was but it was so crowded there and I didn't want to get in anyone's way. It was a waste of energy to paddle so far out to the right since the wave was never going to catch my board there. Just going to take time to get better at paddling and slowly move towards the middle (right in front of the lifeguard tower seems like the best spot but so many lessons are happening right there)
5. Someone recommended I rent from Moku so I got a rental membership there. This way I don't have to haul a board all the way to the beach, and I can eventually size down without having to buy a new board. Great local business and they were very friendly.
6. I feel blessed. Having a rental membership at Waikiki and living 10 minutes away feels like the greatest blessing a new kook can have. Everyone is so friendly on the water, I was talking to tourists out there on their first paddles as well as regular uncles and aunties. It makes the whole thing better when everyone is just vibing and there were the most dope rainbows on the horizon too.
7. NGL I was pretty fearful my first time. It's intimidating doing something new, being in the ocean, fear of falling, surfing where huge catamarans are landing and taking off from the beach. But today, I let the fear go away and just vibed. That made everything better.
8. I'm just going to keep going out 4x a week early in the morning, paddle a ton, try to not get in people's way and just vibe out on the beauty of the ocean. Stoked and thankful for surfing and surfers

I did a lesson yesterday on a 10 foot foamie, then tried on my own 8 foot foamie today without an instructor.

Conditions: Canoes, Oahu 0.3-0.6m

Yesterday I had an instructor pushing me and paddling on my own. With this combination, and the 10 ft board, I stood up on almost every single wave

But, it removed the hardest aspects which are watching for the waves, figuring out where to place yourself, when to start paddling.

I also completely suck at paddling which is embarrassing. I’m 5’9” 155lb and have a strong back, which by my definition is being able to do at least 10 clean pull ups and even clean weighted pull ups with 45lb plate. I also train shoulders routinely.

That is completely useless in surfing apparently. I was completely gassed after paddling for an hour and catching about 10 waves. My traps, back, shoulders are super sore. Very humbling

Today I went out on my 8ft Costco foamie. Same conditions but it was a lot harder to balance on it. I was wobbling around just sitting up on the board.

Mainly practiced paddling to try to get my paddling conditioning up, and sat up watching waves and surfers to learn where to position myself.

My plan it to train my paddling and balance on the 8 ft foamie then take the 10ft next time to practice standing up again.

Most importantly I feel like I should practice paddling on the board for a week before I take my next lesson to make the most use of it, otherwise I am just gassed the whole time and not getting as many reps as I could.

Any advice?

Howzit .. Newest kook in Oahu just bought an 8 ft Scott Burke foamie at the Hawaii Kai Costco yesterday. I took it to Canoes this morning and got a surf instructor who recommended I ditch it for a 10ft foamie. I'm 5'9" 155lb so that was super stable for me and I stood up on 10 or 11 waves, only fell once. I want to try again on my 8 ft foamie. Should I stick with the 10ft a bit longer? Any other beginners want to hit up Canoes dawn patrol with me?

I’m old and in my 40s and finally decided it’s time to learn to surf. Yes I’m going to feel dumb and fall a ton but life is too short not to enjoy this. I work evening shifts so I’m looking for a buddy who is also early in their surfing journey practice with. Anybody want a ride? I can pick you up anywhere near kaimuki area and we can park at Honolulu zoo and learn at canoes in the morning 7-9 or something like that. 🤙

More info about me : I’m a dude, married, have kids, drive a minivan that can fit longboards. I’m not trying to shred or win ego points just want to enjoy life and stay fit.

Howzit everyone. If anyone needs to find an agent to help them with a house, condo usekoho.com has data on every Hawaii realtor's performance. How often they negotiated a price down, average amount they negotiated down, how long their listings sat on the market etc. You can look anyone up or compare between agents. Much better way to find an agent than just looking at reviews. I used it to find the best agent and saved me a ton of money

I read through this entire PUBLIC DOCUMENT to get an idea of who Seattle Children's is up against…. in this battle to protect the wealthiest homeowners in Seattle from hearing choppers carrying kids trying to you know, not die. I went in expecting boring zoning complaints. What I got was a master class in "I support the hospital, BUT…" so I pulled out my top 10. Page numbers included so you can verify I'm not making this up. Imagine going on the record against saving children's lives...

Pick your favorite comments:

10. Kerala Cowart (p. 104) explains that her 3 year old son's favorite walking route goes east on NE 47th and south on 44th Ave NE, and the construction would disrupt this. Somewhere a different 3 year old is waiting on a surgery date but ok

9. Rose Buckingham (pp. 80-84) forwarded by the LCC president as official evidence

opens with "I opened my front door and it was like being struck by lightning." ma'am. it was the sun. reflecting off a window. she took pictures. they're in the public record. they show… the sun.

but the line I cannot stop thinking about:

>"I ate outside, on it, just once this summer"

"it" being her porch. because of the glare, she dined al fresco just one singular summer eve. submitted to the city as environmental impact evidence with photos attached. the LCC president then forwarded the whole thing and formally requested it be entered as a public comment requiring a Supplemental EIS

8. Pete & Helen Andersen (p. 60) get to the bottom of a long list of complaints and then ask, in writing, to a children's hospital:

>6. What compensation are you proposing to the immediate neighbors who will continue to be impacted by continued construction?

A UPC elder just straight up asking the children's hospital to pay them. cash money. for the inconvenience of the children's hospital existing near them. the audacity of putting that in numbered list format like it's a reasonable bullet point.

7. Evan Johnson (p. 58) one sentence comment, no substance. The funny part is the signature: he's a Windermere Real Estate branch manager and the email appends the company tagline:

>LIFE IS BETTER WHEN YOU LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE

complaining about a children's hospital. with the realtor logo. you cannot make this up. I think

>LIFE IS BETTER WHEN YOU ARE ALIVE

6. Constance Sidles, Laurelhurst Community Club (pp. 105-107) cites the Science 2019 study about North America losing 3 billion birds in 49 years. As a reason to block a children's hospital expansion. The birds-vs-pediatric-surgery framing was not on my bingo card

5. jan and grey snyder (p. 66) opens with "we do support all the valuable work of Seattle Children's. Have had grandchildren there many times, and appreciate the care they received." Three paragraphs later: "obviously Children's is paying someone and we the little guy has no say whatsoever." The little guy. In Laurelhurst. Whose neighborhood association is represented by a law firm with a downtown office. And went with the straight-up corruption accusation against a non-profit children's hospital, no evidence, just vibes

4. Pat Chaney (pp. 56-57) "I have always been a huge fan of the hospital… Now I am questioning my loyalty." Questioning her loyalty. To a children's hospital. Then the philosophical zinger:

>Why must so much of the regions children's hospital care happen on this campus??

I genuinely don't know how to answer this. Where would you like it to happen Pat. The Whole Foods parking lot

3. Sarah Davis (p. 16)  writes that more surgery rooms are "outdated and unnecessary" because, "we are working from home" and I quote, we are "meeting doctor's via zoom." yes let's call in the appendectomy and zoom the pediatric heart surgery. Not all of us are blessed with email jobs Sarah

2. Teresa Holland (pp. 78-79)  opens by establishing her bona fides: Children's Hospital Guild member since 1985, helped raise "$1,000,000 and $1,000,000s of dollars" for the Uncompensated Care Program (so kids without insurance can get treated), nine years on the Guild board… "but this support stops today."

then proceeds to write "ANOTHER PROMISE BROKEN BY THE HOSPITAL" in all caps approximately seven times. 35 years of fundraising for sick children, ended by a parking garage being slightly visible from her daughter's house

1. Susan J. Murdoch (pp. 45-48) the grand champion. spends a whole paragraph thanking the hospital. her son has autism. 14 years of weekly speech therapy at Children's. sees an excellent neurologist at the Autism Center. learned to swim at the Therapy Pool because they helped him overcome his fear of water. her other kids have had surgery there. they've dashed there with fevers. they donate every year.

then, I swear, the next paragraph:

>But none of this has anything to do with the need to compromise on the plans put forward by the hospital for the next stage of expansion

translation: the hospital was wonderful when it was saving MY kid. but please don't expand it for the next one at the cost of my "beautiful mountain views". got mine 👍

Almost every single letter follows the same structure:

1. I love Seattle Children's Hospital, they're wonderful, they saved my [grandchild/son/family]
2. BUT
3. [reasons the children's hospital should not be allowed to expand/NIMBY!]

the "BUT" is psychotic work. the Murdoch letter is the clearest example. She lists, in detail, 14+ years of life-changing care her autistic son received at this hospital. and then in the next paragraph asks the City to block the expansion that would let other families get that care. She sees no contradiction. What kind of magical thinking does being rich endow you with?

These are all real PUBLIC comments, in the PUBLIC record here:

https://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/Neighborhoods/MajorInstitutions/SeattleChildrens/Project_Copper_SDCI_MUP_Comments.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

BONUS CONTENT:

The Aspergillus mold sentence ... buried in the LCC's 11-page letter (p. 29), there's this line about why the hospital actually needs the new surgery suites:

>With the recent incidents and deaths following the persistent presence of Aspergillus mold in the surgical suites in the original building's HVAC systems, the need to build 12 new surgical suites… is an understandable change

they acknowledge children died from mold in the existing ORs. in writing. and then keep going for ten more pages about why the new ORs would be visually obtrusive. they typed "incidents and deaths" and just kept it moving to discuss the tree canopy

The 14 children count ... Adam Vraves (p. 76) drops this stat to explain pedestrian danger:

>In just the 7 homes nearest this access point, there are 14 children under the age of 18.

okay so there are 14 healthy children near the construction site. and inside the construction site they are building twelve operating rooms that will be used 3-4x per day for the next 30 years. the math on whose kids matter here is doing some interesting things