Sir Mike

Entre Bodyboard e Bodysurf tem mais títulos em Pipeline que Kelly Slater e Andy Irons juntos. Fosse a comunidade de Bodyboard dada a formalismos e já teria sido armado Cavaleiro.

Enquanto o estatuto não é oficializado, fica a satistação de ter sido homenageado na cerimónia de abertura do Eddie Aikau - evento pago pela marca que, provavelmente, mais faz para apagar o Bodyboard - por, num dia em que Pipeline lançava bombas com seis metros, ter salvo um Quilhas sem ajuda e sem a presença de jet skis na água.

"I remember this day being one of the best second reef pipe days in quite some time, as it was a big and quite consistent west swell. After a great day of waves I came in late that afternoon. After getting back to the house I was staying at I was relaxing and saw a big set. A few people got swept down the beach. The rip was especially strong due to the large west swell and didn't break up between the Pupukea and Ehukai breaks as it mostly does. Two surfers made it to shore but the other didn't make it in. Soon he was waiving his arm in a really bad place towards the inside of Pupukea, which was very heavy. Unfortunately the guards had left. After surfing second reef that day I felt pretty confident that I could get out to this guy, and at least handle dunking waves if I needed to. I also felt that with fins and a bodyboard I was probably best suited to retrieve this person. It was getting late and the victim was quite a ways out and I was concerned that I would loose him once I got into the surf. After calling 911 I instructed my wife to walk in front of where he was with a large white towel so I could at least try to line up with him. When I reached the surfer he was panicked, very drained but conscious and I cautiously approached and tried to calm him down. Some joking around and light encouraging words seemed to work. I gave him my board and put my leash onto him so I wouldn't loose him. We started to head outward for clear water as I did not want to try to go in through the shore break in this area. He seemed to have caught his breath but unfortunately sets started to pump and were now peaking up and breaking on the outside of Pupukea. This is when I realized putting the leash on him might not have been the best idea. I told him I will try to dunk the board and to wait for my cue and try to dive as deep as he could. We got under some of it but pretty much got worked. I then took the leash off him and gave him my board and told him to wait again until I gave him the cue to dive deeper. He made it pretty cleanly although I got pushed back. I quickly tried to paddle out to him and coach him through the process again. This went on for a couple more waves and my distance from him was widening. Had the sets continued I might have lost him, but fortunately they subsided. I got back to him and, gave him back my board again and attached my leash to my foot so that I could swim and pull him in towards gums. My plan was to reattach the leash once I got him into the shore break at gums. Fortunately this is about when the ski showed up."


Ladies and gentleman, Sir Mike Stewart.








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