the promiseland

For any waterman, Maui is the ultimate destination and an experience bordering on religious. Longtime blog reader (we're talking a good couple of weeks now) and first time contributor Ed Coyne sent me this photo from his recent trip to the valley isle.

Maui has the best conditions in the world so all the pros train there, and since the training ground is the ocean and everyone has access, it's not uncommon to find yourself sharing a wave or session with a pro athlete.  Tell me what other sport offers that?  Imagine if you could just walk on to the court and shoot some hoops with Derrick Rose on any given day.  Pretty cool.  Ed took this shot of legendary waterman Laird Hamilton SUP surfing the giant wave at Pe'ahi known as Jaws.  Click on it for a closer view.

Sounds like I'm a real Maui expert, doesn't it?  Well the truth is, I've never been there.  I've been to some amazing spots to windsurf - the Columbia River Gorge, Cape Hatteras and Baja Mexico to name a few - but I've been saving Maui for a special occasion, and this year is it.  I'll be making the pilgrimage in October and needless to say, I am SUPER excited (check my sidebar... I'm counting the seconds).  But this still begs the question, how do I know so much about Maui?  Well, dear reader, there is this fantastic new invention I've recently discovered called the 'internet'.  I'm sure it's just a fad, but while it lasts it will sure be fun, just like the parachute pants I wore every day of seventh grade.

 If you search around this so-called 'internet' you can find lots of content about Maui and all the action happening there and it can be really inspiring, like this shot of Francisco Porcella launching a HUGE air.  So, to keep us fueled for our own adventures, I thought that once in a while I'd feature a blog that I follow so you can check it out.

This post's featured blog is www.mauisurfreport.blogspot.com.  Blog author Giampaolo Cammarota is a dedicated waterman himself, but when he's not on the water he's snapping photos of all the action going on around him, like this shot of Ben Severne's wave 360.  Whether you're looking for inspiration, info on travel to Maui, or just want to escape for a few minutes during your lunch break, GP's blog is great, so check it out!