On Friday former WSL Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour surfer Yadin and his son Kingsley (call him King) went for a quick surf on Oahu's North Shore. Their friend Peter King tagged along to shoot a little video, and sure enough, he captured some magic moments of the father-son session.
Yadin and 'King' Nicol. - WSL / peter king
On Saturday we ran Peter's clip on our WSL Facebook page, where it's been viewed more than 5.8 million times since. Apparently, this brand of daddy-day-care is a huge hit.
And while every wave can be dangerous when you're King's size, the more frightening factor is other people, especially during high-traffic season on the North Shore of Oahu, which is right now thanks to the Vans Triple Crown of surfing.
Yadin is one of many pros toting tots around the world these days, and getting them an early start in the surf. And while dads love dreaming about their kids winning world titles some day, at this stage, only one thing matters to Yadin. "I just want him to have fun. He can swim like a fish," says Nicol. "He's been at it since he was 18 months old. But we had a one little wipeout when he was little where he got sand in his eyes and he stopped for a year, because he figured the ocean was just acid water. Now he's back, and all in."
As for the reaction to the video, Yadin was pretty darn proud. "I was a bit teary eyed when I saw the video for the first time," he explains. "I know how cute he is...and what a devil he is. But yeah, it made me really proud, and it was so epic to see such a big reaction."