ONE THING I forgot to mention a week or so ago.
The whole column was about taking babies to

zoo:

Hawaii, complete with the do’s and don’ts (mostly

don’ts!) .

Many years ago, Brian and
i were lounging on Kaanapali
Beach; just below the: airport -
and the golf:.club- A’ man,
wife -and - young ..daughter
were strolling ~ along -. the -
beach, taking pictures and
generally enjoying what must
have been their first day on
the islands. Easy to see — no
sunburn, no tan.

I got fed up with lying in
the sun and began walking

B)

along the shore about 50
yards behind them. Although -
I was walking on dry sand,
the odd wave got nasty and
dragged at my feet, Then
came a big one! I got wet to
*my waist, but worse, the
water:collapsed the sand that.
I was walking on and I
stumbled and nearly got
dragged out to sea. It scared
the hell out. of me and I head-
ed back for Brian and the
mats. mo
Not five minutes later, the
same sort of, freak wave
struck the family who had
been ahead of -me. The
mother had posed father and
daughter against a
background of crashing surf.
They violated the most im-
portant rule of beach walk-
ing: Never turn your back on
the ocean. Within seconds, as
the sand gave way and the
ocean tugged, both father
and daughter were swept 100
yards into the Pacific. The
mother lost her fancy camera
and case and was nearly
swept away too. Since she
was facing the surf, she had
time (o get away.
Meanwhile, the other
members of her family were
in dire trouble. The men who
had been strolling on the
beach spotted the trouble —
and, with more courage than
the average, dived into the
surf. One, an off-duty
lifeguard from Hawali,
reached the daughter and
towed her back to shore. The
other, a vacationing e¢x-
ifeguard from = Australia,
reached the father, but
because the man was big and
panic-stricken, he couldn't
tow him back. The other life-
guard swam to help. By the

Careers in Travel
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in
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time they towed Dad back to
the beach, it took six people,

, Brian included, to drag the
. man out_of the clutches of

that surf..[t’s murder!
: ‘The father had what ap-
peared to be a heart attack.
The mother and daughter
were screaming and it took
half an hour to get medical
help. Altogether a nasty
scene. -

I was horrified. I did the

will deposit you somewhere
else along the beach — semi-
circular to where you were.
Don't fight — glide.

I'm a non-swimmer. Oh,
sure, I can do a back float, a
semblance of the breast
stroke that lasts for six feet
and can jump into the end of
the pool if: I hold my nose
AND Brian or one of our
daughters is close by to haul
me out if things get out of
hand. In many visits to
Hawaii, the closest I got to
getting in the surf was a
wave, like the one before,
which gave me a pound of

travel-wise

most obvious thing —
covered the father with our
beach towels and raised his
head and shoulders with the
mats.. Others comforted the
mother and daughter while
the crowds. gathered. When
the ambulance finally arriv-
ed, I'd had enough beach and
Brian and I packed up and
headed back to our condo.
On. the way, two mothers —
obviously miainlanders —
were dipping small infants in-
to that same surf. Can you
imagine the chances of an in-
fant surviving one of those
waves? ‘‘They do it all the
time!’’ complained the
operator of one of the beach
shacks. ‘‘See? Red Flags!
That means treacherous surf
but will they listen? Hell, no.
We fish them out with a boat.
Some of them are dead.””

Get smart. Watch for red
flags. Keep your infants out
of the surf, unless you're
postitive it’s safe. Ask a
native. In doubt? Don’t.

Before you body surf, you
ought to talk to a friend of
mine who’s done it for years.
He doesn’t do it any more. A
freak wave caught him and
broke his cheekbone, almost
his neck.

What advice can | offer if
you get swept out to sea? On-
ly that the Hawaii Visitors
Bureau told me: Current and
tides. work in semi-circles. If
you're swept away, dont’ try
to get back where you werc.
Swim with the current and it

WAIKIKI

Au only

WAIKIKI $462

8 Days 7 Nights Au & Hotel

LAS VEGAS $309

§ Days 4 Nights Au & Hotei

RENO $199

5 Days 4 Nights Au & Hotel

$249

MAPLE LEAF
TRAVEL

736-3555

feg Agent 157-3

TORONTO

by Barbara McCreadie

sand in my shorts.

Poipu Beach. Kauai.
That’s the place for people
like me to get wet. ‘‘Mom!
You’re in the water!’’ exulted
our middle daughter who had
just come from a series of
snorkel lessons. And { mush-
ed around in the surf, doing
my best back float and
modified breast stroke.

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87-8327

C9 - Sunday, January 22, 1984 - North Shore News

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