A Great Surfer Remembered

This past summer I had the amazing opportunity to visit the Oahu, one of the beautiful Islands of Hawaii.  While I was only able to spend one week on there, in that time I was truly touched by atmosphere, culture and overall laid back and friendly nature of everyone I met.  My experience with Hawaiians, whether an local or ex-pat, was good.  In my time on Oahu I noticed that the local residents of the Island had a special and unique way of going about the everyday activities we take for granted.  This is a very difficult feeling to express and I really can't provide a concrete example of what this difference is. It simply feels different, more relaxed. In the future I have every intention of going back. In the meantime however, I regularly catch myself procrastinating from doing homework and the like, looking at pictures and reading articles from the Islands. As with past blog articles I've posted, I came across this topic while NOT doing the homework I should have been doing.  While browsing surfing videos from Hawaii I came across a video which showed the memorial service for the late great surfing legend Andy Irons. 

This was not your typical memorial service.  What struck me the most about this video was the nature of the memorial itself.  Hundreds of people, friends, family and locals alike all joined together to pay respects to the deceased three time world champion.  What was truly unique however, was the fact that this memorial was held out in the ocean, with most guests paddling out on surfboards forming a sort of flotilla around a central boat in which the immediate family and friends of Irons stood.  From here the video documents several speakers, and eventually ends after his ashes have been placed in the ocean.  As a showing of respect to the surfer, many guests threw flowers and leis in the ocean as is local tradition.  The unconventional nature of this memorial fascinates me, its truly something I would never expect to see in Canada.  That being said, and having been to Hawaii and had a very small taste of what it was like to live there, the nature of this memorial does not strike me as unusual.  The Hawaiian people have a wonderfully unique way of doing things. Maybe its this uniqueness that made my experience there so unforgettable. Nevertheless, having watched this video, I am convinced that wherever Andy Irons is now, he was happy that day.

R.I.P Andy Irons