I paddled out in the dark yesterday morning. I caught my first wave and after my third turn, I saw a shadow right where I pulled out. That shadow disappeared under the wave. I looked to see what it was and it was an elder lady holding on to her life on her longboard. She was underwater for a while and came up with the death look on her face. I asked if she was ok and she told me “no, I’m not ok.” I know what that meant. Anyway, I helped her back on her surfboard and pushed her out of the impact zone. She was still in shock. I tried to keep her calm by asking where she was from. New Zealand. Then I asked where did she rent her surfboard from. She said her hotel. I asked where what was she doing out there. She said it looked small from the beach. OMG. It wasn’t small at all.
Shame on the hotel who rented her the surfboard. And for all you tourists and beginners, Bowls isn’t a friendly wave. The waves are powerful, there are no lifeguards, lots of current, and not a place you want to die on your Hawaiian vacation. This lady was practically out there in the dark and nobody else saw her. If I didn’t almost run her over, who knows where she would be right now. I got her back to the beach and I’m pretty sure she’ll have a story to tell to her grandkids.
