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The Death Zone

Historically, it seems that someone dies in the surf in Hawaii every second year. Odds have it that no one will die this season.

It was my first day in Hawaii, many seasons ago. I had just stopped on the side of the Kam, somewhere near Pipe. There was not much parking to be found, with so many people wanting to have a look at Pipe doing her thing. It was about 10-12 foot Hawaiian, absolutely massive, and there were a few crazies in the water.

I bumped into legendary South African water photographer Chris Van Lennep on the bicycle path, and as we started chatting, we started hearing the emergency vehicles wailing as they approached from the Waimea side, heading towards us. The sirens got louder and louder, but the vehicle stopped short of Pipe, somewhere near Rock Piles/Log Cabins. A bodyboarder’s leash snagged, the sweep was immense, and he couldn’t release, drowning in the shallows. The news soon spread as the coconut wireless picked up on it, and the mood on the North Shore became somber immediately. It might be a heroic surf destination, a mecca for courageous surfers the world over, but a surfing death is never taken lightly on the North Shore. 

Two nights later, while in the garden on the point at Waimea, we heard the chopper coming over. The swell has risen slightly, and Waimea had been big that day, with two waves closing out the bay. It was an amazing spectacle to watch for the first time.

It was now night however, and the dreaded helicopter hovering meant that someone was lost at sea. It was a sickening feeling, after watching these giant waves detonating against the point at Waimea all day, and witnessing the unbridled power of the ocean.

My first two days were an eye-opener. Hawaii – not a place to be taken lightly, in any respect.   

Last year Alec Cooke disappeared at Waimea. It was a strange situation. Alec, otherwise known as big wave aficionado Ace Cool, was very competent in big surf, and his van was parked in the car park, with his dog nearby. It turned out that he paddled out at Waimea at dusk on a decent sized big day – Wednesday October 28th, 2015. The 59-year-old had paddled out for a night surf with a glow-stick and was never seen again. His board was found a few days later near the Waimea River.       

Kirk Passmore drowned the year before – on November 12, 2014 – while surfing Alligator Rock. An outer reef to the west of Waimea, Alligator Rock is a popular big wave spot that gets waves in the 25—30 foot range, and is always uncrowded. Kirk, a popular local surfer, was out there with a few friends, but was not surfing with a flotation device, preferring to surf unencumbered. It proved to be a fatal decision, and after a big drop and wipeout, Kirk disappeared. Despite a massive coast guard search, his body was never found, and the question about flotation devices came to the fore in big wave circles, as one would surely have saved his life. 

Tahitian Malik Joyeux suffered a solid wipe out on an 8-foot wave at Pipeline on 2 December 2005. After a late drop, Malik tried to slip into the barrel, but the lip caught him square on and he was slammed on the bottom. Despite the surfers in the water all gathering and forming lines and swimming and searching, even in the big conditions, his body was only found 15 minutes later at Ehukai, and despite resuscitation efforts he was pronounced dead on the scene.

A young Donny Solomon was surfing at Waimea Bay in December 1995, when tragedy struck. Australian big wave surfer Ross Clark-Jones was in the water with Donnie, along with eleven times World Champion Kelly Slater from America. A big set of waves poured through, Ross caught the first one, but Donnie got trapped by the second wave and went over backwards as the wave broke. He was knocked unconscious, and drowned. 

A popular and brave young surfer, Todd Chesser liked to surf the outside reefs near his home on Oahu. Far away from the crowds and the intensity of the more popular breaks, Todd preferred the solitude of the deep-water waves, enjoying them with a few friends. In February of 1997 Chesser and friends paddled out at Outer Alligators. A giant wave caught Todd inside. He dived off, and surfaced only semi-conscious. His friends tried to assist him but another giant wave separated them and he was lost, his body found on the Waimea rocks a few hours later.

There is a powerful brotherhood on Oahu, as can be attested to by the situation when South African bodyboarder Andre Botha saved the life of Evan Gieselman at Pipe last year – but it is still a zone that can not be trifled with.

North Shore, Oahu, winter season 2016/2017 – be careful out there. 

 

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