As I sit quietly under the Hawaiian Water Patrol tent at the Eddie Aikau Contest, I have my camera out and my ears open. My eyes seeing the jet skis racing out to sea to escape the freak 50′ sets. My ears listening to the Water Patrol radios communicating with each other. The thing that fascinated me the most was their confidence and calmness. It was one of the most dangerous surf in history, BUT, the rescue team made it as safe as it gets. The surfers were in gods hands.
To be able to push a ski off the sand into the dangerous shore break requires skill and timing. It was perfect all day long as no mistakes were made. When I came home and downloaded this photo, I was stoked to see one of the boys wearing a DOVE impact suit. Such a smart guy! 
Without the Hawaiian Water Patrol, there is no way they could have run the contest. Someone would have died out there for sure. It was impossible to paddle out to the lineup, and also back to the beach. The current was way to strong even for the strongest watermen in the world. 
These guys deserve all the credit for the safety of the competitors. To me, these were the heroes! And it was good to see Hawaiian David Stant there all day long making sure everyone was safe.
