Long Walks on the Beach

I don't know about you, but this really creeps me out.

I went to the dentist last week. Let me stop there. The dentist sucks. We can move on now.

While I was in the waiting room, I started to peruse the local paper and came across a story out of Hawaii. It read "Two sisters-in-law who were walking along a rocky Kauai shoreline apparently drowned when a large wave struck the women and pulled them out to sea." Please note, it did not read "Two sisters-in-law who were walking along a rocky Kauai shoreline during a hurricane" or "Two sisters-in-law who were attempting to hang ten on a hyper fierce gnar gnar." No, they were just walking.

Just to clarify, apparently it is possible that while my sweetheart and I are walking down the beach, enjoying a beautiful sunset, not a care in the world, minding our own beeswax a freak wave can come out of nowhere and swallow us up. No warning, one second, a cold Corona and oceanic bliss, the next, gulp. I decided to look into this disturbing phenomenon and discovered it to be an all too familiar headline.

In February of this year a freak wave hit a Durban beach killing 1 and leaving 18 others in need of immediate rescue. In September, also this year, a rogue wave at Middle Cove Beach on the coast of Newfoundland sent water 20 meters inland into the parking lot. One of the startled survivors had this to say, "This big wave just grabbed me and washed me out". Perhaps the most disturbing was in Acapulco, April of 2007. Six people were rescued after being swept out into Acapulco Bay when an unusually large wave washed over part of the coastal road. The six people were apparently walking along the beach when the wave hit. The wave occurred on a sunny, hot day with no storm in sight, and its source was not clear.

Of course, there are several perfectly plausible reasons why these freak waves can occur. Land formations, earthquakes, weather disturbances and currents just to name a few.

So this is my suggestion. The sign on the beach should read. 1. Swim at your own risk. 2. Alcohol and glass containers are not allowed. 3. No pets on the beach. 4. No vehicles on the beach. 5. Watch out for random, 30 foot walls of water that could crash down at any moment and drag you out to sea. Enjoy your day at the beach.