Kauai's Bethany Hamilton, who at 13 years old lost her arm in a brutal attack by a tiger shark, has since battled back to competition in a staggering display of courage and faith. Along with that came signature perfumes and sandals and a bestselling book...and now a feature length film. The film, Soul Surfer, will star Anna Sophia Robb, Dennis Quad, Helen Hunt, and Carrie Underwood and will chronicle Hamilton's life before and after the tragedy. Granted Bethany's story is unique and inspiring, but it seems that surfing is stepping ever so closely to the saturation point. Hollywood A-listers like Quad portraying Hanalei locals? There has always been a chasm between two surfing states of mind. In one camp, surfers want our art to be a "legitimate" sport ala golf with big salaries and a high profile. But the opposing attitude is one that hopes surfing stays off the grid, maybe a bit too scary and sexy for your average citizen. So far, Hollywood hasn't gotten it right. Surfer Dude may have been the anti-establishment surfer's best friend (because it made surfing look so stupid), but Surf's Up came eerily close with Jeff Bridge's mellow shaping legend character sporting some spot-on verbiage. This tug-of-war is nothing new. In fact, Miki Dora even fought the war within himself. He poetically touted the life of soul riding while selling signature surfboards and doing stunt work for Hollywood flicks. With groundwork laid by Fred Hemmings, Ian Cairns, Kelly Slater, Laird Hamilton, and now Bethany Hamilton, surfing very well may have broken through to the other side. But is that what we really want?                 

Sure you can learn to save the environment and to avoid dropping in on locals, but the most important surf-related life lesson would have to be to just "Go for It"...no hesitation...no pulling back. That goes for all aspects of surfing whether you are dropping into a bomb, punting a fat air, or committing to a sickening roundhouse cutty. But it also applies to life. Hesitation leads to stagnation and missed opportunities. Hesitation has no place in surfing and no place in life.

Okay, that said, maybe it teaches us not to stereotype. Todd Prodonovich writes that "without even realizing it, we (surfers) exude something that is a dead giveaway to teachers, bosses and girlfriends' parents that we live for surfing, and this might be at the cost of things like schoolwork, jobs and quality time with the special lady." Do we fall into the world's view of surfers? Red eyes, messy hair, and innate mellow-ness? Doubt it...If you ever really get to know girls and guys at who surf your local beach, you'll find that beyond the passion for waveriding there lies depth and personality just like the rest of you. Sounds like a life lesson to me.

Best lesson of all? Stay Stoked!

No tsunami in Hawaii. Awesome...now surfers can go back to worrying about ride-able waves. Although Eduardo Arena claims to have surfed a tsunami off Chile, it's not a worthy gamble. Locals are huffing and puffing about missing out on a good Saturday of 8-12 surf (I'm sure there were several guys still grabbing waves at Pipe as the sirens sounded), but most folks did the right thing, getting to higher ground and waiting for the impending mayhem from above. And instead of a deluge of rage, Mother Nature exhaled with a whimper and the state of Hawaii sighed with relief. Meanwhile, the Quiksilver Pro at Snapper Rocks, Australia was held off for the day in case a tsunami should ruin their day at the beach. Ironic, a surf contest called off for possible waves. Bottom line, the boring images transmitted all day of the Pacific rising and falling in gentle rhythm were infinitely more pleasing than the ones that came out of Thailand back in 2004. The Islands dodged a bullet today, and all eyes are on Chile.

If you still need some tsunami after all this big wave media overload, here are some links for further information:

NOAA - Tsunami Warning

Local Hawaiian News and Tsunami information

Basic Tsunami Information - What is a Tsunami?

Why you can't Surf a Tsunami

The weekend...a holiday...a day off work and it's flat. Is that some kid of a joke? A full 24 hours of navigating a world without waves. Is that some kind of ironic slap in the face or Mother Nature's response to our nonsensical pandering to an artificial schedule of days and labor. No matter how you slice it, a day off is an excuse to go surfing, but it's flat. So what now?

Maybe you are checking the beach today in New York. Maybe you're waking up in Hawaii, or checking the buoys for tomorrow's session in Bali. Oooh! You Aussies have no idea how lucky you are to live Down Under. That's the crazy thing; surfers sometimes have no idea how lucky they are just to be surfers. Heck, I owe my life to surfing. I wouldn't have traveled to all the interesting places and met all the awesome folks around the world (or my wife for that matter). Every session has made up my collective self and who I am as a human.

Maybe there is some real reason why it's flat on the day you have off. It's the day for guys and girls who take surfing for granted to think about how lucky they are...just to be surfers. Go pick up some trash at your local beach. Give your shaper a hug. Join the Surfrider Foundation. Think about what life would be like without surfing, and then most of all stay healthy so that you can surf when the moment arises (sounds like a Viagra commercial). And when that next swell hits, ride every wave with a smile and dig life for the happiness it brings.