This one lands squarely in the “quite embarrassing” category, alongside the “silly tourist” and “so glad I survived” files. I could have left this story out of my little Maui Memories series, but my husband and I figured that sharing it might help some of you down the road.
Of all the things we read and researched before leaving for Hawaii, nothing really covered this topic.
So here goes!…
Yesterday’s post told about our upcountry adventure up to Haleakala Crater. By the time we came down off the mountain it was about 4 pm (I think?). We were full of energy and excitement in this beautiful new-to-us world, and we wanted to find a beach and go swimming.
As the map below shows, there are a LOT of beaches on Maui to choose from.
Once again, we consulted our Fodor’s guide for its beach recommendations.
Its highest recommendation (in 2008) was Big Beach. The description made it sound so heavenly and dreamy. We drove and drove, passing a multitude of beaches before finally reaching our destination. It was now 4:45 pm. The parking lot wasn’t full, but it wasn’t empty either.
We walked eagerly up the wide, tree-lined sandy path that led to the beach. Beside us walked a young man in board shorts with a big boogie board tucked under his very tanned arm.
The first thing I noticed was a large lifeguard stand. No lifeguard was in it, since the sign underneath said they went off duty at 4:30.
Also posted on the lifeguard stand were signs like this:
(Keep in mind that these signs are posted at EVERY beach.)
Honestly, I didn’t quite understand what they meant…
We walked on to the water’s edge to look for a spot to put down our things. As we got closer and closer to the water, I felt fear welling up in the pit of my stomach.
“Oh, my,” I told my husband,
“these waves seem really big…umm…like kinda scary…”
At this point I was a bit cross with myself. As a completely unathletic person, swimming is the one and only thing I’ve always loved to do. I certainly didn’t want to find myself “afraid of the water” at this stage of life!
We found a spot on the beach that we claimed as our own. On one side was a couple relaxing on their towels. Beyond them was a family with little kids running through the shoreline surf. Right beside us was our new “surfer dude” friend (that should have been a clue!), and beyond him was a couple up to their necks in the water, floating away and having the time of their lives.
I, on the other hand, was scared.
Those waves right in front of me looked so BIG!
My husband boldly walked out and stood waist-deep in the water. As the waves came in, he just gently rose and fell with them.
“Come on,” he coaxed,
“you just have to walk out here far enough and you’ll be fine…”
I was determined not to be a fraidy cat, so I started tentatively into the water.
Before I could even blink, a wave knocked me to my knees and splashed over my head.
We were laughing by now.
“Oh, great!” I laughed,
“so much for not getting my hair wet!”
I stood up and took a few more steps, but before I could get “far enough out,” another wave was coming.
I turned my back (BIG, BIG mistake), and from the corner of my eye I saw the next wave.
It was at least a foot higher than my six-foot husband’s head.
I remembered from my one experience in the ocean’s waves (over 27 years ago!) that you needed to “jump” when a wave was coming.
I did.
And I landed back firmly on the ground right before the wave hit me.
(Go ahead and laugh. I know it sounds funny…)
But at the time, I was NOT laughing.
It was perhaps the most terrifying experience I’ve had in my life to date. {The only other thing I can compare it to was the time I was in a roll-over car accident. I was more scared under that wave at Big Beach.}
The wave slammed my face deep into the sand and dragged my body right up onto the shore.
{The good news is, I found my swimsuit could successfully hold about 7 cups of sand!!}
I’d love to say that, like falling off a horse, I “got right back on” and headed back into the water. But I didn’t. I was shaking like a leaf and absolutely terrified. I couldn’t even stand to watch my husband out there in those “nasty waves.”
Seeing the distress on my face, he came back in. {Thank you, Darlin’.}
Our first beach experience didn’t last long…
***
I felt really silly about my lack of “how to swim in the ocean” know-how, and I didn’t want to leave Maui with that as my last beach memory. A few days later, we were recounting our story to our snorkelling guide. He was a happy, talkative guy who loved everything about Maui. As we told the details, he instantly got serious.
“That’s not funny,” he said,
“That’s one of the most dangerous beaches here. In fact, we call it ‘Break Neck Beach’. People break their necks there all the time.”
A little bit of research on the internet confirmed his statement. (Although the “all the time” needs some serious definition!…)
***
I’m not telling you this story to scare you away from the beach. Nor do I think you should avoid Big Beach. You really should go there. It’s beautiful! But we learned how important it is to choose the right spot on the beach.
Watch the waves for a while before you go in. If the sand has a giant “cut” in it (like our spot did), that’s a sign the waves break really close to shore. Those waves, I think, are meant for the surfers, not for “floaters” like me.
If we ever get a chance to go back to Maui, I’d be bolder about asking the locals for more specific guidelines on what to look for when choosing a swimming spot. There are dangerous areas and dangerous currents. They know all about it, and I’m sure they’d be happy to share their wisdom with you.
***
I’m sad to say I don’t have a single picture of Big Beach. We locked our cameras in the car when we headed to the water that day. But I’m happy to say that wasn’t my last beach memory…
We ended up swimming again at a different beach (on our last morning there):
Kaanapali Beach.
It was our favourite.
We found a lovely spot and spent as much time as we could bobbing in the waves and watching the clouds… (No terrifying wave experiences were involved!)
