BA Index html_Surf Reports La Jolla Surfing

Welcome to a Day with BA

"Old" Home	Contact me
New Home Page	BA's BS Pages

Making up for some Ranting Lost Time:

I'm sure this effort will become a precursor for many rants to follow, and a footnote for previous rants -

On Monday, June 7, 2004, luckily, I was in the right place, at the right time, to pull a couple of little girls out of a serious riptide at La Jolla Shores.

This rant ain't aimed at the little girls, but it most certainly is laser-beamed right at their mom.

Backtracking a little:

I don't know who reads this crapola that I write.

According to some of the statistics I get, I receive about 150 - 250 viewers per day to the stupid stuff I write. I probably have 10 steady readers, plus maybe my kids, and one masochist who pops in all the time to swell the "hit count."

I do know that I surf with a few of you, and you are damn good surfers - who the rest of the viewers are, I couldn't begin, nor would I even want, to guess [who your are].

Personally, I bore myself with most of dribble that I write, so it must be really painful reading for the rest of you.

Anyway, rather than trying to explain how dangerous a beach break like The Shores can be at certain times - if you don't get it - you ain't worth the effort it takes to explain it [the dangers]

Simply stated:

Lottsa things were happening, surf wise anyway, in the early morning at The Shores -

South wind
- 0 .9 ft low tide at 8:05 am
Northwest, short interval wind swell
Wave faces easily 6 - 8 feet
Riptides all along the beach

Here's a graph showing wave height from the 8th, and the waves were much smaller on the 8th than they were on the 7th:

June 8, 2004, Wave Heights

Anyway 1, it was about 6:00 am and 5 little girls - all properly attired in their Roxy Rash Guards - jumped out of mom's SUV, and bee lined it to the water, surfboards under their arms.

The girls were between 9 or so, and maybe 13 or 14...I tried to warn them about the stingray danger - see Memorial Day Stingray Score Card - no way were they gonna listen to me - but most importantly, mom wasn't listening either.

Anyway 2, almost as soon as the girls hit the water, the side shore current caught them and dragged them south, all the way to the un-manned lifeguard tower. Then they were caught in the rip, and were pulled out into the line-up.

The three older girls held on to their boards, and they washed in. The two younger girls Photo were pulled out even farther - but the smallest girl's leash came off and she could barely tread water in the rip.

I paddled over to the girls, luckily they were close to each other, and I grabbed the boardless one, and put her on my board. I couldn't handle both of the girls, but, fortunately a small wave broke on our head, and I pushed the other girl in on that wave, and held on to the little girl.

Anyway 3, the little girl and I made it in and all 5 were now safely on the beach.

I asked the girls who was watching them - "mom is" they answered.

Now finally, the rant begins - Part Un-o:

Mom was reading a book, as she sat by the fire ring in front of Inside Wave Dave's truck
Mom was almost a 1/4 of a mile from were I finally brought the girls in to the beach
Mom had no clue that the girls were in any trouble
Mom had no clue that surfing could be dangerous

Now finally, the rant gets a little juicy - Part Two-o:

I returned a terrifed little girl to mom
Mom still had no clue that there had been a very near drowning
Mom did see, briefly, that the girls were getting pulled out by the rip
Mom sez to me: "Yes, I saw them out there, I thought it was neat that the girls were gonna ride the big ones"
The little girl is still crying and shaking -

Jeeze - I'm caught so off balance by mom's seemingly lack of concern, that:

1. I'm thinking about calling the cops and having mom arrested for child neglect.

2. I cannot even talk to her, much less yell at her.

Then it hits me - just like it has so many times following surf related incidents - or as a matter of fact - life related events involving children -

She [they] just don't get it - and there ain't no law against stupidity -

I left the kids and mom, and I was so unsettled by the events that I couldn't even surf.

I took a shower and got ready for work, and right before I drove off, she came up to me, thanked me, and called me her guardian angel - nice ego boost for me - but it took me almost four days to shake the day's events and to clear my head for surfing, work, and other BA releated activities. Later,

BA

HOME

Home