A Great Success

By request...A true story...

Tropical sun was beating down on my face as I ran across the black sand beach towards the Pacific ocean, crashing its waves like a rhythmic $10 "Sounds of the Ocean" CD. With my bodyboard in-hand, my new sleek rashguard shirt sticking to me like cellophane, I was ready for my first adventure in my new Hawaiian home.

My two buddies and I were straight off the plane from the "mainland", and about as awesome any three guys from Montana could be. ;) We had decided to move to Hawaii to attend school on an exchange program. Hilo, Hawaii, would be our home for the next three and a half months. We were intent on studying and getting the best education we could while we were in here...except not.

Within the first week we had ventured to the local Wal-mart and bought ourselves new, made-to-look-expensive bodyboards and headed out to the local beach called Honoli'i. (See top picture) Of course we rode in style in our cheaply bought and poorly insured gray Grand Caprice. Pulling up to the beach we could see that the "Waves Were Pumpin'!!!" Pure excitement and nerves arose in all of us as we looked at eachother and tried to act as macho and stoic as possible. Except, how do you look macho and stoic when you are standing next to a 1982 gray Grand Caprice?

As we approached the beach I could see some locals about 100 yards off the shore catching what looked to be 12 foot waves. Insane, right? I gauranteed myself that I would stick to the less-certain-death size waves a bit farther down the beach. We made our way past the showers and a few hotties sunbathing on the small patch of grass behind the thin strip of beach. Well, here we were three "haolis", that means "white people", standing seemingly ready for this new adventure. I took my t-shirt off. I could feel the stares piercing my skin. "I know I am white but geez, at least try to make your stares less obvious," I said to myself under my breath. Was I missing something? Did I have my boardshorts on? Were we really that obvious of newbies?

I turned at looked at my buddies Jim and Shane and said, "I ain't standin' around just to get stared at! I'm running in!"

In a Baywatch-esque scene the three of us pasty, inexperienced, adventurous, mainlanders ran barefoot across the beach, down into the water.

"SPLASH"

The water was at least warm, but the waves sure looked at lot bigger from my flat position on top of my bodyboard. I had watched some people out in the waves already swimming around just fine on their boards and navigating the waters like they had a motor attached to them. But I have to say, swimming with a bodyboard is like trying to swim with a coffee table between your legs...impossible.
The waves kept coming and we kept paddling, doggy-paddle style, to essentially no end. I looked behind me and realized we still only about 60 feet from shore. This was ridiculous. It was like trying to run up a descending escalator, but even worse, every step/paddle I took the escalator/ocean just kept getting infinitely the same size. 20 minutes of struggling later we made it out past the waves. You see the key to bodyboarding and surfing is being faster than the waves and therefore being able to catch them from behind. How were we going to be faster than the waves if it took us 20 minutes to paddle 50 yards? I was already huffin' and puffin' and in need of some Gogo-gadget webbed feet and hands.
Then I see my buddy Jim catch a wave, well more like a wave caught him, but either way he was speeding along a wave, looking like he was Kelly Slater on a bodyboard.
I had to match that so I gave it a try. I looked behind me and saw a good size wave coming. I paddle hands and feet as fast as I could. I thought I was going faster than the wave but apparently not. The wave crest caught me and tipped me face first into the water. It had to have been quite a scene with legs flailing in the air and a wave smashing towards shore. I don't know because I was trying to find which way was up after being rocked by an innocent "baby wave". Maybe this was a MISTAKE. I found my way to shore coughing up water and dragging my board behind me. I hear a "local" voice yell to me, "Hey haoli! Where yo fins bra?"

Confused by the question I thought to myself. My fins, huh? Does he think I am merman? Am I missing something? I yell back, "What?"

"Your fins bradda?" as he holds up a pair of special rubber fins that you wear to propel yourself easier through the water. "Wow! We are a bunch of idiots!" I scream silently.

I yell back nervously, "I forgot them at home....."

"That's stupid bra. Big MISTAKE, you coulda been killed"

Really? I realized that, after being tossed like a rag doll underwater for a good 30 seconds.

Needless to say I didn't end up going back into the water that day. I wouldn't go back in until I had my "fins". What strangers we were, thinking we could conquer the waves without proper, necessary equipment.
Yes, it was a big mistake on my part. I was almost killed. I overcame it though with the advice of a local, and now a friend. He kindly showed us where to get the best and cheapest fins and offered to show us the ropes of bodyboarding. I now can say that my big mistake has turned into a even bigger success. I have found another passion in my life and one that I may never be really good at but one where I know I can be mistake-free...kinda...because that wasn't the last wave that made me ponder life and death. My advice...first time bodyboarding, go with someone who knows what their doing. I have been bodyboarding since then and I can say for certain that if you don't wear fins you could end up like this guy (See Below).
The End.
Can you just imagine what happened to this guy? OhMyGUSH!!!