Kitesoul Magazine #3 English Edition

of all manner of beach goers. I wonderedwhat the lifeguard’s reactionwould be when the kites took shapeon the sand. It bears saying that thelifeguards stationed at Pipeline areabove even a shred of disrespect. Beingsome of the most elite watermenanywhere on earth, they simply cannotbe argued with. No one who has seenwhat they do in the heaviest water imaginablewould dare. You’d have to bea complete clown. Their blessing waskey in my mind to the boys just gettingoff the beach.So not wasting any time, or extendingthe duration of the dumb looks fromevery confused visitor staring at them,Keahi and Reo got their kites in the airand their asses in the water. Thankfully,no bullhorn blared from the tower;one hurdle down. Next was the questionof the swift downwind current. Itwas ripping. With too small of a kite,the loss of apparent wind might endthis dream just feet off the beach. Butno, they were powered, and headed forthe next challenge, the shorebreak atGum’s. Gum’s is the little patch of sandthat sits just to the right (downwind inthis case) of the wave at Pipe. Its whereyou either squeak straight out, or getpummeled by brutal closeouts on thesandbar. From years of swimming outat Pipe, I can tell you that Gum’s canbreak your spirit before you’ve evengotten a chance to get your ass kickedwith some dignity up at the peak. Onceyou’re passed that though, you’ll havea relatively easy time getting to thereal action at Pipe. Its all about timing.They set out, climbed some foam,bore off downwind and then bam, theywere outside! Now I was getting excited.This might actually happen! Workingtheir way upwind, feeling their wayonto a few peaks, each moved closerand closer to the lineup. Within minutesthe first proper fade and bottom