It’s springtime, which brings a population explosion in South Shore lineups on Oahu. It’s like water locusts, or fruit flies swarming in a mango tree.
Usually, no matter how bad the crowds or conditions get, my buddy Grace maintains her good humor and sangfroid. She doesn’t let anything spoil her daily sesh at Suis.
So I was surprised and dismayed to hear Grace complain she feels bullied and intimidated by a new gang of groms.
“There are like 10 of them,” she said. “Their parents drop them off … and they paddle out to Suis in a pack.”
They are not like last spring’s grom hatch. However irritating, at least that group hogged waves with antic exuberance and smiles.
These younger boys don’t smile. They sneer.
“They’re staring at me, vibing me out,” Grace said.
The other day, she and an older guy were alone at Suis when the Gang of Ten paddled out.
“We were surrounded. They started chanting for us to go in.”
Grace and I looked at each other, aghast. “Lord of the Flies!” we cried.
Maybe they feel insecure because they’re small and young, we guessed. They come out in a pack and feel emboldened to behave in ways they never would if their parents were around. We hope.
“I shouldn’t have to feel this way, anxious, wondering if they’re coming out and then when I see them, feeling sick and that I have to go in,” Grace said.
They need to learn etiquette and be respectful, we agreed.
“But how do we teach them?” Grace asked.
The answer, as with so much else, lies in ohana.
But it’s not coming from the dads who take their little boys to outside breaks, pushing them onto waves in front of other surfers when they should be learning on the inside beginner breaks. Nor the ones who coach their kids to drop in on others, roaring “Go, go, go!” We’re supposed to want our children to succeed without breaking the rules. Or am I missing something?
This weekend, the infectious spirit of true ohana can be caught at Queen’s Surf in Waikiki, where the annual T&C Surf Grom Contest for kids ages 3 to 12 is taking place for the 20th year.
To keep things relaxed and fun, the two-day contest accepts only children who have not participated in competitions sponsored by the National Scholastic Surfing Association, Hawaii Surfing Association and others. Events include a Kokua Session that allows adults to assist keiki ages 3 to 6 in the inside break at Baby Queen’s, and today’s FreeSurf Expression Session where children ride tandem with a parent, auntie, uncle or grandparent.
You can view some of last year’s tandem performances at youtube.com (search “FS Expression Session 2017”). Or better still, head down to Queen’s to watch this year’s sesh live today at 11:45 a.m.
On a recent crowded morning out at Suis, I was sitting alone in Siberia (the empty rights, which are considered inferior to the lefts) when a dark-haired boy of 11 or 12 paddled up.
“Hi, Auntie. How are you?” he said as if he actually cared.
“I’m a little cold, thanks.”
“Have you been out long?”
“An hour and a half.” It was a hot day and I realized I was feeling a bit dehydrated. “I’m Mindy.”
“I’m Luke.” He turned on a dime and caught a wave. From the back I watched him fly smoothly along.
“That was a long ride,” I said.
He smiled as we paddled for the next set. Closer to the peak, he had priority, but as the first wave jacked up he offered it to me. I chickened out and he grabbed it. I caught a safer, but boring, wave.
Luke said, “Something I’ve been observing is, when there’s a big wall that looks like it’s going to break on you, it doesn’t!” As if to demonstrate, he took another steep one.
It crushed him. I pretended I hadn’t seen.
Nevertheless, he’d made a good point: No risk, no gain.
The other day, Luke called out my name with a friendly wave as he sat amidst the Gang of Ten — he’s a member, who knew? — and I saw respect begin to dawn on each astonished young face.
“In the Lineup” features Hawaii’s oceangoers and their regular hangouts, from the beach to the deep blue sea. Reach Mindy Pennybacker at mpennybacker@staradvertiser.com or call 529-4772.
