"Crazy how if you slap a donkey for burning you,
you can get arrested. But donkey can run you over and gets no
punishment."
A couple of
weeks ago, shackles were sure as hell raised on the North Shore
following the near-death of legendary big-wave surfer and
ocean paddler Chris Owens who nearly exited this mortal coil
when he was kneecapped by an adult learner at Waimea
Bay.
Chris Owens, of course, ain’t no ordinary surfer or
lifeguard.
In 2005, after a wild twenty-two hour haul through giant seas
described as “one of the greatest feats of human endurance ever”,
Owens paddled the
sixty-five nautical miles between Oahu and Kauai.
Owens, who survived a one-minute hold-down at Mavericks in 2019
in surf deemed too big to run the Mavericks Invitational contest
(“I went down and said hello to my
friends Mark Foo and Sion Milosky”), was surfing a
mid-sized day at Waimea when he was taken out by the adult
learner.
Another North Shore lifeguard Joey Cadiz was unsparing in his
criticism.
“Change is coming. No more entitled individuals that buy a gun
and “think” they can surf Waimea. People that can barely swim,
dependent on their floatation, board and luck by shoulder-hopping.
Y’all DONE!!! I train for the worst possible situation and I’m
READY for it! But not what I go out there for! Take a
good moment to think about your abilities, training, preparation,
and awareness before you paddle out next time!”
Comments ran hot.
Changes need to be made!!! Need to harden up folks!!! When
you see something do something we all need to step up and do what’s
right!!! No worry about what’s legal sorry if I sound savage hahah
but this shit is out of control on many levels
Crazy how if you slap a donkey for burning you, you can get
arrested.. but donkey can run you over, take you away from surf/
work for months.. and gets no punishment
This kook should have gotten cracks on the beach. No place
for this out there.
That’s so fucked! The exact reason I didn’t surf there
today. Too many kooks because it’s not bombing! But imagine it is
and these kooks are out there tryina literally kill us!!!! Fuck
that guy. He needs a north shore warm up head slap at the very
least.
T
Now, with the world’s most prestigious big-wave contest The
Eddie Aikau set to run this Sunday, and with Billy Kemper and Makua
Rothman already out of the event due to injuries sustained during
the Backdoor Shootout, third-alternate Owens was looking like an
almost certain starter.
The Eddie only runs when Waimea is a consistent
twenty-to-twenty-five feet and in its almost thirty-year history
has produced only nine winners, John John Florence the last surfer
to claim the title in 2016.
Miss it and it may not run again for a decade.
Thoughts, prayers, condolences etc.
