BRINGING BACK THE DEAD
Surfers appear as extensions of nature: blissfully gliding, it’s easy to lose track of where the wave ends and the surfer begins. It takes thousands of hours to develop technique, whether soulful and arty or power hacking with precision and speed. A surfer’s subconscious notes the changing tides, rips appearing out of the deep blue water, and how the switching winds threaten glassy conditions. Surfers feel at home among the waves; duck-diving is like the sea wrapping its teal blanket around you. But one should never get too comfortable.
The ocean, with her hypnotic glistening and mesmerising melodies, can be unkind. Though two-thirds water ourselves, we fail to be entirely in tune with the sea’s movements. However, our innate determination as surfers lets us continually chase synchronicity with the waves as the irresistible temptress lures us to her depths. Creatures that lurk beneath the surface steal notoriety from the beast herself, but their ferocity cannot compare to the raw power the ocean holds.
Two hundred and ninety-four people drowned last year in Australia.Nearly half of those deaths occurred in coastal waters.
