Treachery

While living in Hawaii, I became an avid "boogie board" surfer. I used to drive down to Ho'okipa Beach on the north shore of Maui and dive into the surf with a boogie board (short wide board that you lay on), fins (especially made short fins for the boogie purpose) and a "shortie" wetsuit (enough 1/8 inch protection from the cool waters of the Pacific). After work, it was my sanity, and part of my strong attachment to the island nature around me. I love being near the ocean, being in it, enjoying it...I am an "island boy" at heart.

During that time I encountered sometimes treacherous waters, high waves, strong currents, jelly fish, strong winds, locals bent on hurting haoles...but always took it all in stride. I also developed a strong understanding and appreciation for the power of the ocean. It can be a very dangerous place. The ocean has no emotion, or fear, or hatred...it is an equal opportunity power that will kill you if you don't honor it's power. Every so often that reminder came in the form of a coral cut (as a wave slammed me into it), or in the form of a serious injury or death of another. I honor the power of the ocean and that continues today.

So I swim everyday or other as I can. I love swimming the Caribe on the quiet side of the island ~30 minutes. It's heart pumping, great for the physical, and easy on the mind. It is my aquarium and I don't have to clean the filter. Lately it's been a wonderful sight with the volume of baby fish, jellys, rays, conchs...filled with life, easy on the soul. But it can be dangerous, and I respect that. Not everyone does, nor do they understand it at the level I do.

There is a reason that on most law-suit fearing beaches there are signs, flags, postings warning of dangerous currents. It is, forgive the repetition, dangerous. Unfortunately, the island infrastructure has little fear of law-suits in the Netherlands Antilles, so no flags, no postings, no signs, no lifeguards, no beach patrol...you are on your own. They do have a pretty good human body recovery system though after an event.

Yesterday the current was really strong. Like the sign says, if you doubt don't go out. And for me to say it was strong, it was REALLY strong. From the harbor to the point at the oil terminal is was running strongly at about 5 knots...pulling, no sucking you toward Saba island if you didn't swim it. I swam diagonal toward the harbor catiwhampus (at an angle) to the current and then swam back with the current to get back out at the beach. That's the way you should do it. And you still need to be a strong swimmer to do it. I am. It's invigorating and never a problem for me. I understand and respect the ocean. I plan my swim. I execute my plan (all that fire and police training helped a little in my life).

At the same time two of my classmates also took a swim, but swam out straight from the beach into the cross current. Before everyone knew it they were 100 yards "down current" and almost out of sight. They realized where they were and then began to swim vigorously back to the beach against the current. One was not a swimmer, a smoker and had only a mask he was using for the first time. That is the recipe, for those who don't recognize it, for disaster. I may have been the only one who appreciated that. I saw him swimming and I walked down the beach to get as close as I could without entering the water. I yelled at him, talked to him and watched to see if I was going to have to jump in after him. I hoped his head would continue to bob and make progress toward the shore, but with each stroke he seemed to stand still and with each non stroke he seemed to get further away.

It took what seemed like a longer time than it was, but with persistence he made it back to shore. He stumbled from the water as I talked to him about what had just happened and he said those words..."I didn't realize how strong the current was..." We walked back to our group, and he collapsed on the sand to rest. I was relieved. People die each year in the ocean just this way.

My respect for the ocean has increased that much more.