In this edition newsletter:

• 📌 Surfing Events This November
• 🏄 Riding the Waves of Change: Meet Megan Abubo
•  📣 How Does Riding Feel Different between Greenough 4-A and Takayama Halo?
• 🌊 Caring for Your Boards on Day Trips and Bigger Adventures
• 🏄‍♀️ Member of the Month: Romesh Jayawickrama
• 👊 Takayama Halo Fins Reviews
• ⏳ The Power of Unexpected Connections: A Lesson in "Goen"

 🏆 Upcoming Competitions 🏆

 • Pipeline Masters: Get ready for the iconic Pipeline Masters, set to take place next month. Surfers from around the world will converge on Oahu's North Shore to tackle the legendary Banzai Pipeline.

 Dates: December 8-20

Location: North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii

🏄 Riding the Waves of Change: Megan Abubo's Journey from Pro Surfer to Mentor 

📣 How Does Riding Feel Different between Greenough 4-A and Takayama Halo?

When it comes to the overall riding experience, the Greenough 4-A and Takayama Halo offer distinctly different feels. Let's break it down:

Greenough 4-A Riding Experience

1. Drive and Hold: The Greenough 4-A is renowned for its solid drive off the bottom of the wave. Its full base coupled with a tapering, moderately flexible tip provides excellent hold and forward thrust.
2. Long, Arching Turns: This fin excels in long, sweeping turns. It's very responsive and forgiving, even when digging into a drop knee turn.
3. Balance of Flex and Stability: The 4-A offers a well-balanced performance, combining flexibility at the tip with stability at the base. This allows for both speed generation and control.
4. Traditional Longboard Feel: While still performance-oriented, the Greenough 4-A provides a more traditional longboard feel compared to more modern fin systems.

Takayama Halo (2+1 Setup) Riding Experience

1. Increased Maneuverability: The Halo fin's distinctive design allows for easier turning, especially on larger boards. This configuration enables surfers to initiate turns from further up on the board, rather than having to step back to the tail.
2. Smooth Rail-to-Rail Transitions: The 2+1 Halo setup provides seamless transitions between turns. The side fins work in conjunction with the center fin to create a unified system, reducing disruption when switching from rail to rail.
3. Enhanced Pivot: The pivoting center fin, coupled with the side fins, allows for a tighter turning radius. This is particularly noticeable when turning from the middle of the board, giving the surfer more control and responsiveness.
4. Speed Maintenance: The Halo fin system is designed to maintain speed through turns. The fins don't slip and catch, allowing the surfer to carry momentum through arcs and turns.

Know More of the Comparison of these two longboard fins Here...

🌊 Caring for Your Boards on Day Trips and Bigger Adventures

For many of us who live close to the ocean, surfing is a daily activity. This means that our boards get transported a lot—from the garage to the car, from the car to the water, and back home again. All of that transportation can subject our surfboards to a number of risks, including weathering and exposure to the elements, bumps and dings, and who knows what else! This is why it is so important to transport your surfboard properly on the way to the beach, and to take care of it before, during, and after surf sessions.

While there are a lot of great travel bags for checking your surfboards onto flights, these tend to be pretty bulky and heavy, due to all of the foam and protection that they offer.

But if you are simply driving to the beach, you don’t need quite so much protection, which is why it is a good idea to have a smaller, lower-profile day bag for your board. You could use a nylon bag such as the Daylight bag (which features a heat-reflective outer skin and a convenient shoulder strap), or a knit bag or “board sock,” such as the Hawaiian South Shore knit bag.

Knit bags are stretchy and flexible, and take up a lot less space, making them quite convenient for short trips to the beach. Plus, they still offer a lot of protection due to their soft, springy material. The Hawaiian South Shore knit bag in particular is made from life jacket material, so it is durable when in contact with salt water. Plus, it has 1/4 inch of foam for padding and an internal coating that prevents wax from getting everywhere. Many travelers will actually use knit bags like these on each board in their larger travel bag, adding extra protection for those bumpy airplane rides.

Once you get to the surf, you want to make sure that you take good care of your board. This includes keeping it out of the water whenever it gets dinged and making sure to have dings professionally repaired once they have dried out; not putting your board wax-down in the sand; always rinsing your board with fresh water after a session; and making sure not to leave your board out in the sun, where it can heat up and delam.

Many of us like to surf early in the morning before work, and often find that we have to leave our boards in our cars while we are in the office. If you can’t park in a covered area where your car is shaded and remains cool, then we highly suggest bringing your board into the office with you (if possible). If you can’t do that, try to park somewhere relatively safe where you can crack the windows to allow a little bit of breeze to circulate through the car. Heat is a surfboards worst enemy—not only does it melt the wax and make a huge mess in your car, but it can mess with the chemical bond between the foam and fiberglass, which shortens the life of your board and can cause bubbles in the glass on certain types of boards.

Finally, if you are heading out on a big surf trip, you want to make sure that you protect your boards adequately before checking them onto your flight. Get a sturdy travel bag or coffin that can accommodate the number of boards you plan to bring, and make sure there is enough room to fit all of the boards after they are individually wrapped in knit bags or daybags (for extra protection). Consider adding extra protection on the top and bottom boards, since they are the most likely to be damaged if the board is impacted. You can do this by layering your towels, wetsuits, and other clothing items on top of the top board and underneath of the bottom board—just make sure that you remove your wax first, or at least wrap the boards in board socks, otherwise you might arrive to your destination to find melted wax all over your clothes!

If your boards have removable fin systems, make sure all of your fins are removed before packing them in your travel bag. If you have glass-on fins, consider using foam blocks with slices in them to accommodate the fins, as these add stability and make it less likely to snap a fin while in transit. Also consider layering the rail sections of the bag (along the zipper and along the bottom of the bag opposite the zipper) with towels or clothes, as this area is also susceptible to damage. You can also use pool noodles with a slice lengthwise to help pad the rails of individual boards, or use bubble wrap to help pad the rails.

Finally, try not to overstuff your board bag and keep it relatively light. Overstuffed bags are stretched thin and don’t provide quite as much protection, and heavier bags are more likely to be dropped by baggage handlers. You might also consider sticking some “Fragile” stickers on your bag and being super nice to the gate agent who checks your boards in for you—anything to help that precious cargo make it to your destination intact!

🏄‍♀️ Member of the Month: Romesh Jayawickrama

When and why did you initially get into surfing?

I have wanted to surf from my childhood but always only lived in big cities, so never truly got the chance to learn (consistently) until I moved to Hawaii 4 years ago. I was always so drawn to the ocean and the purity of surfing - with the elements quite literally driving you forward. Always thought there was something so poetic about that.

Did you have a time period you laid off from surfing?

Yes I had to have 8 months of physio therapy due to knee surgery. 

 If so, when and why did you start back up?

I did the physio so diligently specifically to be able to surf and get back in the water asap.

What is your favorite thing about surfing? 

Hard to put it down to just one thing, but it’s being “at one” with nature, specifically the ocean - it’s exercise, a sport, spirituality, rebalancing and therapy all in one thing. There’s nothing quite like it.

What product did you most recently purchase from us and why?

Harley Ingleby Mid6 - 7’10. I’m a long boarder but have been increasing wanting to move into shorter board territory - to surf more aggressively and experience greater speed in general. After a lot of research I decided on this mid length, which has the characteristics of a short board whilst not being too big a step from my usual ride. 

How do you like it so far?

Absolutely love it. The speed across the face of a wave, even on smaller days is really quite amazing. With those 6 channels, it displaces water so efficiently. Couldn’t believe my first ride. I felt I’d been driving an old slow truck, and suddenly was given a sports car. The difference between my longboard and the Mid6 was huge. 

What fins are you using with your new board?

FCS II. Quad setup 

Have you used other fins in the past and how do these compare?

I use FCS side bites on my Takayama ITP, with a Futures center fin. FCS are just all round great fins - really well balanced between flexibility and drive. If ever in doubt, you generally can’t go wrong with FCS. 

Where is your favorite place to eat after surfing? 

Leahi Health - after a long surf session I crave fresh ingredients and clean food. I’m not a vegan, but I love this spot. 

What is your favorite item on the menu?

The bacon-mustard bowl. Their mock bacon, using shaved and roasted almonds is insanely tasty!

What other hobbies do you have besides surfing?

I play the bass guitar, piano and write music. Also love tennis and have recently gotten into sketching. Never too late to learn something new! 

What type of work do you do?

I’m the CEO of a financial technology company 

Do you have any additional comments or suggestions for us?

Not really. Maybe the 15% discount on gear post purchase couldn’t have lasted longer but that’s a small thing. The team have been great from the start. Knowledgeable and super helpful. 

👊 Takayama Halo Fins Reviews

🔨 Review By Allan

⏳ The Power of Unexpected Connections: A Lesson in "Goen"

Something pretty cool happened at the shop the other day that got me thinking about this Japanese concept called "goen." It's all about those unexpected connections that can change things up in surprising ways. 

Two women came into the store - one was an actress from Canada who's been in a bunch of movies and a TV series, and the other worked in production. She was heading to New York for a Sony baseball documentary. We got to talk, and it just felt like one of those conversations where everything clicks. I ended up giving them some stickers and a Hawaiian South Shore bag. No big deal, right? But then later, the production worker texted me. She wanted to send our staff some T-Shirts. She said our chat about my journey opening the store had really inspired her. That's when it hit me - this is exactly what the Japanese mean when they talk about "goen."

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

What's Goen All About?

Goen (ご縁) is this idea that some connections are just meant to happen. It's those random encounters that end up meaning something more. In Japan, people use this word a lot to describe those "small world" moments or to express gratitude for unexpected opportunities.

My Own Goen Story

Thinking about goen made me reflect on my own journey with this store. Man, we had some tough times when we first opened. Other surf shops in the area were actually blocking us - vendors couldn't sell to us. We couldn't even get basic stuff like leashes or wax. It was rough. But here's where it gets interesting. When you can't go the way you planned, you've got to find another path.

We couldn't sell surf stuff, so we had to get creative:

1. We started with outlet stuff from LA.
2. Then we got into street and skate gear, working with brands like DC Shoes and Nike 3.0.
3. We even teamed up with Japanese magazines for mail orders. This was pre-internet, so people were ordering from 7-11!
4. We made exclusive tees for magazines and did some cool brand collabs.
5. At one point, we even created our own clothing line with a designer who had done some designs for Stussy.
6. Slowly but surely, we worked our way back to surf. A friend convinced Weed Tokoro to let us carry some of his boards, then we landed Lost Surfboards when they were just starting out.

Looking back, each of these moves was like a little bit of goen - unexpected chances that kept us going when things looked tough.

What I Learned from All This

This whole experience taught me a few things:

1. Keep your eyes open - your next big opportunity might come from somewhere unexpected.
2. Be ready to adapt - sometimes your original plan just won't work out.
3. Value every connection - you never know who might play a big role in your journey.
4. When you hit an obstacle, look for another way - there's usually a path forward if you're willing to get creative.

Finding Your Own Goen

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