last night, i heard on the news that somebody was found underwater at sandy beach yesterday and is in critical condition. i thought to myself, ah, just another tourist probably bodysurfing the shorebreak. news like that happens a lot there. then this morning, i go out there with maki-san, toda-san, and takami-san to surf, totally forgetting about the news.
it couldn’t have been more beautiful there today. sunny sky, white sand, and good surf. a beach i grew up surfing and a beach i still love. it was good to see all my friends driving through the parking lot. then here comes my high school surfer friend walking up to me with a straight face. not the usual smile. “hey kirby, you heard about Dwayne?” what? what happened? “he drowned yesterday right here at sandy’s and is in a coma at the hospital now.” what!!!! OMG! Dwayne Scharsch is my old time surfing buddy. we grew up surfing contests together. i see Dwayne in the water every time i surf sandy’s or bowls. in fact, i saw him everyday last week during the south swell and we were talking about the old days and how good the waves we were getting. he was surfing sandy’s the day before and his surfboard hit him in the face, he knocked out, and was underwater for a long time until another surfer pulled him up from his leash. he is in the hospital in critical condition in a coma. i’m shocked. i’m sad. and i’m lost for words. Dwayne is such a good person and my heart goes out to his family.
and to think the waves were only 2′ yesterday. i keep telling people that it’s the small days when lots of people get hurt. today the waves came up and i really didn’t want to surf out there because of Dwayne. but something told me that i should go catch a wave for him. and when i was out there, i’m sure he would want me to surf and to continue surfing. we are all praying for you buddy.
usually when i drive home from sandy’s, i think about the beauty of hawaii. think about how lucky we are to live here. but today, i was thinking something different. i was thinking that it could have been anyone. it could have been me. it’s a freak accident and freak accidents happen to anyone. it’s not like i can live my life more carefully, that i can’t. i just have to live my life happier and appreciate every single breath i have. when things like this happens to people close to you, it’s an eye opener. please enjoy your life.
