"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.
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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.
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Gorilla watering the jungle…pruning next?
Donkeys gonna donk.
One raises hackles, not shackles.
Da boyz need to lawyer-up a make a case for gross negligence and dangerous operation of a vessel
International Law of the SUPs, Kooks, & Voyuers demands an op license for anything longer than 7’6″ on waves greater than 4-foot HA and/or 4 german legs.
I hate all of the click bait headlines these days “Biggest swell in a ….? ” or “Near death!” it
should read:
” Long time Haole Local gambles with his life surfing best Pinballs this season!”
If its makes you feel any better Chris and Joey. You will never have to worry about me getting in your way out there. My feet will be firmly on the mainland.
What’s the latest on the swell?
Seems the Russian Disinformation™️ bots may be out in full force saying that buoy readings are not Eddie-esque.
Greg Long disapproves this message!
Did you forget to write part of what you were thinking? Goes from Owens “was” looking like a contestant to nothing. Isn’t he still looking to get a spot?
This is what happens when you let the ‘the ocean is for everyone’ kooks get a foot in the door.
Your recap’s put Border Security to shame. Last two paragraph’s hold the info.
Thanks — someone should do this for every BG article.