Legends and Mermaids

"Can miles truly separate us from friends?

If we want to be with someone we love, aren't we already there?"
Richard Bach

One of the rare benefits of growing older is sharing memories with special friends and getting to talk story about times gone by.  It was my absolute pleasure to hang out at the beach with Brian and Greg, who have moved through the decades of their lives continually sharing a passion for capturing the ocean and its inhabitants on film.  The joy the guys had in swimming in the clear blue water of Waimea Bay was surpassed only by their mischievous grins when they swapped cameras for a while.   

 "H2O:  two parts Heart and one part Obsession. " 

Author Unknown

The best things in life come in threes, like friends, dreams, and memories."

Mencius

The ingredients were all there, two professional cameramen, clear ocean water and the dreamy vision of a silhouette through the bubbles.  The beauty of the image was imprinted onto my memory and with a wry smile I knew I would get to relive the pictures capturing the moment for ever with their underwater cameras.  Waimea means "Red Water" in Hawaiian, but my eyes could only see blue sky and the aqua marine of the flat ocean.  These summertime conditions were clear and calm and it was hard to imagine the huge winter waves crashing onto the beaches with people stretched out under the warmth of the Hawaiian sun.

  

“I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.”

T. S. Eliot

Brian’s wonderful daughter Taya was a most patient mermaid as she performed over and over the graceful swoop of her tail while Greg and Brian dived below and swam alongside.  Everyone seemed so comfortable in the water and in all things Hawaiian.  For me to be taking amateur snaps of these seasoned photographers while they shot professional stills and video seemed so tongue in cheek, well it would have been if I hadn't have been biting down hard on a snorkel.  Clumsily trying to keep up and squinting behind my fogged mask, I was reminded of the steep learning curve this dumb blonde Sheila always seemed to be swimming against.  

“Not everything is a mermaid that dives into the water.”

Russian Proverb

But wait, the next mermaid was blonder and choking down far too much saltwater while floundering at the surface.  Swimming in a wetsuit tail is much more difficult than it looks.  There was no way my surface coughing and spluttering was going to lure any unsuspecting sailor onto the rocks.  The only sirens anyone was likely to hear would be the emergency vehicles called in to resuscitate me.

"The water is your friend.  You don't have to fight with water,
just share the same spirit as the water, and it will help you move."
Aleksandr Popov


As the afternoon wore on, Greg filmed the kids and I diving for shells. I was relieved he hadn't suggested shooting us leap from "da rock" several stories high.  Of course the kids effortlessly picked up the conch shell and brought it up to the camera. I managed to blow nose bubbles which emulated a manic manatee. Lolling around on the golden beach watching the light change, I started to marvel at the how this remote tiny place of Hawaii has produced such huge legends.  Some of these stories are of Gods and some of men and a few special tales are about both.

"I took off on a wave, went down the side, popped out the other end, and went, shit, I'm still alive!"

Greg Noll (on surfing Waimea Bay, Hawaii, for the 1st time) 

Eddie Aikau was a Hawaiian mortal who became a legend synonymous with Waimea, or perhaps it was Waimea that became legendary because of this man.   Eddie was the first lifesaver on the North Shore of Oahu responsible from Sunset Beach to Haleiwa.  Not one life was lost at Waimea while he served as lifeguard.  He would rescue people in such huge waves when no-one else dared, and that was perhaps how the saying "Eddie Would Go" began.  Interested in perpetuating his Hawaiian heritage, Eddie was selected to join the 2500 mile ancient Polynesian voyage between the Hawaiian and Tahitian Islands in a traditional double hull canoe.  The canoe sprang a leak and capsized in stormy weather and in an attempt to reach land and save the crew, Eddie paddled towards Lanai on his surfboard.  The US Coast Guard picked up the crew and a huge search and rescue was launched for Eddie, but he was never seen again.  Perhaps such big hearted protectorship eventually demands the ultimate self sacrifice, or maybe it was simply Eddie's path of Aloha from man to immortality.  The Quiksilver Big Wave invitational tournament in Memory of Eddie Aikau only takes place when open ocean swells breaking there reach at least 20ft, which means a wave face of at least 30ft - when "Eddie Would Go".

"Nothing is more important than reconnecting with your bliss. 

Nothing is as rich. Nothing is more real."

Deepak Chopra

The Hawaiian Islands gifted surfing to the world.  As the sun slipped behind the horizon I gained a glimmer of understanding as to why so many gods, legends, mortals and indeed mermaids have an intrinsic connection with these tiny islands of greatness.