My Story: Who is behind Surf, Code, Aloha

Aloha, my name is Ian Tierney, I am a surfer and coder based in Kauai, Hawaii. The most remote landmass in the world has high speed internet and is surrounded by water with a wide variety of waves, so naturally there are lots of folks like me here. I didn’t start surfing til I was 16 and took up coding at 35. Surfing as a teen gave me a reason to wake up early and surf before school. It became a lifestyle when I moved to Hawaii at 18 years old. Leaving behind the bay area seemed like an easy decision - I never have to wear a wetsuit again, the surf movies helped familiarize me before ever going, and life was comparatively cheap. I figured I would do my thing for 6 months, then get island fever and move back. Instead I went to college, met the love of my life, had a beautiful baby together and work remotely on the Garden Island (Kauai). It wasn’t easy, and I made plenty of mistakes, but there are many reasons to stay here on Kauai and make it work. 

I have a few goals for this blog:

1. Showcase Kauai in all her majesty - the natural beauty, the lovely people, and cultural uniqueness.

2. Share my favorite places to visit - both natural and manmade. 

3. Connect with others who code and surf or want to learn. 

4. Share my thoughts on work, projects and all things related to code and surfing. 

I also plan to have a link to my business page. I am a coder and as such I do website development for people who have a great business or non-profit idea that is worth sharing online. There are lots of websites in need of some love on Kauai, so I am excited to get to work. 

I recognize that each moment I am in Kauai she nourishes and gifts me the opportunity to breathe her air, eat from her soils, drink from her waters, bathe in her sun, swim in her oceans, be kissed by her rains, and be embraced by her winds. I further recognize that generations of Indigenous Hawaiians and their knowledge systems shaped Hawai‘i in sustainable ways that allow me to enjoy these gifts today. For this I am grateful and as a settler, I seek to support the varied strategies that the Indigenous peoples of Hawai‘i are using to protect their land and their communities, and I commit to dedicating time and resources to working in solidarity. Mahalo. 

With that I'd like to end by saying, if you are interested in connecting please do reach out. I would love to hear your questions, comments and thoughts about surf, code and aloha.