The Power of the Ocean

In my International Literature course I was required to read Mimic Men by V.S. Naipaul. The main character talked about how his element was snow. He felt he related to it and it represented his personality and the way he thought about life. I feel as if water is my element. I love water--not only do I drink it all day, but I love swimming. I love the beach, or body of water that I can immerse myself in, and I love the power of the ocean. Even little koi ponds or fountains in people's yard catches my attention. I am fascinated with marine life--when I was in elementary school I wanted to be a marine biologist.

This past week my aunt and her two youngsters visited us. They came all the way from Tucson, AZ. I've never been there, but according to them it's a "desert ghetto". The image they put in my mind was a landscape of dry red dust everywhere with gigantic cacti and skeletons of dead animals strewn about. This is an exaggeration to the max, but my cousin--age 15--is the queen bee of hyperbole. I love her!

In order to fulfill their getaway we went to the beach twice. On Tuesday we went to Huntington Beach, also known as "Surf City USA". We brought the skim board and boogie boards with us. Once we claimed our plot of sand and greased ourselves up with sunscreen we all turned into water babies and were in the water most of the day. Even my Aunt tried to boogie board; she's not much of a water person!

I haven't been boogie boarding in a few years, and I used to shred when I was younger. In my own theory little kids are better at boogie boarding because they have less weight to displace in the waves, but that's besides the point. I was eager to impress everyone with my awesome skills so I ran out and started to wait for the perfect wave. There were two sets of breakers. The first set was too small for me at the time and I didn't want to come up on the sand after catching a wave, so I paddled out to the second set of breakers where if I caught a wave I'd come out in the first zone of breakers.

A wave started to crest and I thought, "okay, this one looks great!". I turned my board around and started to kick. The crest formed into a 6' wave and I started to ride down with it until it broke. My board started to nose dive in the water and I felt the wave crash down over me and my board. I felt my legs fly over my head and my board shoot up above the water while I was being drug along the sandy bottom. A series of curse words flew through my mind. I had been in that situation before and I reminded myself not to panic, just to wait until the wave spat me out.

I stood up and was finally out of the wave. I turned my board around to watch the waves so I wouldn't get thrashed again. I wanted to adjust my crumpled bathing suit now full of sand so I hopped off my board and tried to stand. My foot didn't touch the soft sandy bottom. I realized that I was much farther out than I had realized and looked at the beach to see where my family's station was set up--it was almost out of sight. I had been taken down the beach by the rip current and I could feel the waves pull me towards the ocean. Panic started to rise in my chest, but I told myself that if I panicked and tried to swim against the current I'd end up probably having to have the lifeguard come save me. I calmed myself down and started to ride the waves diagonally towards the beach. The less you fight the waves and the more you let them push you the easier it is and eventually you'll be on the beach. Finally I could touch the bottom and I started to walk towards shore. For the rest of the day I stayed in the first set of breakers.

The power of the ocean is immense. I feel that is why I am so fascinated with it. Marine biologists still do not understand, completely, how the ocean works. Many people are afraid of the ocean and I can see why. I don't feel afraid of the ocean; more so, an awe. I am in awe of it's raw power and intensity to give life and to take it away. In my lifetime I hope to see more of it, understand it more, and to live near it.

(Stephen and Zack in the first set of breakers)

(Huntington Beach: Surf City, USA. Taken from Pier)