The Japanese Heir To An Eponymous Section Of Pipeline Reef

“Brah, I don’t even get my own bowl out there!” Jamie O’Brien once told us, referring to the Wakita Bowl — a particularly deep section of the Pipe reef, named after Japanese underground hero Takayuki Wakita.

The takeoff spot of the Wakita Bowl sits nearly behind Backdoor, a perilously shallow section of reef which Takayuki has veritably mastered since 1989 — his maiden North Shore winter. “My main motto is I don’t wanna bother all the local guys,” he told us. “I know where I sit is too deep for the spot but that’s okay. Sometimes with the current it pulls people around and if I’m in the right place I have to try.”

Thanks to the generally hereditary nature of surf ability (and possible lunacy), his son Taichi has been tracking similar accomplishments.

Over the past handful of years, Taichi has accumulated a healthy cache of memorable visions, and earned himself a few well-utilized Backdoor Shootout invitations.

Above. the 25-year old from Shōnan, Japan, reflects on his Vans Pipe Masters invite, paints some boards, and shares a handful of lovely insights from his father — all in his native tongue.

“My dad was the reason I started surfing Pipe. He always said, ‘There’s no need to rush, be patient, wait for your time, and when the opportunity presents itself, ride the wave. That’s all you can ask for.'”