Dawn Patrol (6 page)

“You going in?” Esme asked.

“Sure,” I said. “When it's my turn.”

A couple of the other surfers turned to look at us. One of them had a devious smile. “No turns here, brah. You want a wave today, you've got to take it,” he said.

The guy beside him shoved him. “Don't listen to Jake,” he said. “Dude just flew in from LA. Rude-surfer central. You want to take a wave, go for it, man. We're all just kind of figuring out the lay of the land.”

“Thanks,” I said. Another set was rolling in. It looked like the waves would be much the same size.

“Get on that,” someone yelled.

I paddled into where the wave would crest.

As the wave approached, I paddled hard and stood just in time. I teetered on the crest and shot down the front. It was amazing. I cut to the right and rode the face of the wave before steering slightly up and then back down again. As the wave began to break, I had a moment in the barrel, then stormed forward and shot up the front of the wave, diving off my board and landing outside of where the next wave was cresting. I got back on my board, did a duck dive through the next wave and came out the other side to where the Jet Skis were bobbing.

“Very nice!” Delgado yelled. “Go get another one!”

I paddled back out to the lineup, and the mouthy guy from LA who had been a creep gave me a high five. “Nice ride,” he said. “How is it?”

“Clean,” I said. “Not messy at all. Like riding on a piece of glass.”

What looked like the final wave of the set was rolling in. Jake, the guy from LA, started paddling out in front of the wave before it broke. He managed to stand up, but as he dropped in, he leaned too far forward and went headfirst into the wave.

“Ohhhh!” his friend yelled. “He just got owned out there, brah.” He looked over at me. “Did you see that?”

“Yeah,” I said. We waited for him to pop up. His board surfaced, but the guy was nowhere to be seen.

“Where is he?” his friend asked. He looked at me again. “Is it reef there or what?”

“Sand,” I said. “For a long way.”

Surfers die in these kinds of conditions all the time. They get swept under, dragged down and beaten against the floor of the ocean. But Jake popped up, coughing and sputtering.

“Brah,” his friend yelled. “You all right?”

Jake looked at me. “Yeah.” He grabbed his board and swam toward us. “Like glass out here, isn't that what you said?”

Another set came crashing in. It was unexpected, and the waves were much larger. The twenty-foot waves from before were now getting close to being forty-foot rollers.

Surfers paddled over to their Jet Skis and grabbed hold of the attached ropes. The Jet Skis' engines fired up and the waves crashed. Everything became intense. The waves loomed larger and spread out farther. With the roar of the Jet Skis and the pungent stench of fuel surrounding us, it seemed like we were in a different place.

“Here they come!” someone yelled.

“These are huge,” Esme said as we paddled away from the edge of a wave. It took a lot of effort to stay in the middle of this size of wave. It was best to keep to the side, where you could play spectator.

“They're building,” I said. The next wave was over forty feet. It's possible to paddle into a wave that size, but easier to get towed.

“Hey,” Jake yelled over to me.

“Yeah?” I said.

“You paddling in or towing?”

I looked at the wave, and no one else was paddling in. One bit of surfer etiquette rarely got forgotten in big waves: you don't tow into a big wave if other people are paddling in. It's too dangerous.

“I'm not paddling in,” I yelled back as a wave crashed behind me.

“Go, go, go!” Jake said to his Jet Ski driver, and they headed toward the next rolling wave.

More surfers and Jet Skis were approaching. There were more people in the water than I had thought.

“There he is,” Esme yelled.

“Who?”

“Kevin.”

I looked to where she was pointing and sure enough, it was Kevin. He was being towed toward the backside of the wave. He was glowing.

“He's being towed by Jose,” I said.

“What the hell is going on?” Esme asked.

“I don't know. But we'd better find out.” I wasn't going to let either of them get away this time. “Let's wait here. They'll come around again,” I said.

But Kevin turned and saw us. His face stiffened, and he looked away. I knew he would catch the next wave and disappear again. I wasn't going to let that happen.

“Damn,” I said. “He saw us.” I turned around to find Delgado a short distance away. “Delgado,” I yelled. “Tow me in!”

Delgado glanced at the big waves and then back at me. “No way,” he said. “These are monsters.”

“I have to catch one of these waves,” I said as we paddled up to his Jet Ski. Delgado turned the motor off. Kevin and Jose were doing slow circles at the edge of the wave, waiting for the right moment to drop in. We didn't have much time.

“Our friend is here,” I said. “Tow me out so I can talk to him.”

Delgado looked to where I was pointing. He shook his head and crossed his arms. “These waves are too big, and you, my friend, are too small.”

We watched Jose tow Kevin into the wave. Kevin released the rope, dropped down the face of the wave and cut toward the rocks. There was only one way to catch up to him.

I had to surf.

chapter thirteen

“You have to tow me in, Delgado,” I said.

He shook his head. “No, man, these are too big. I don't want to be the one who drags you to your death.”

“I can surf these,” I yelled.

“Remember, I was the one who patched you up yesterday? And those were tiny waves.”

I glanced over at where I had last seen Kevin. He must have missed the wave, because he was still waiting his turn. “It had nothing to do with the waves,” I said, “and everything to do with someone cutting me off.”

“Luca, Esme.” I looked up to find Alana riding up on a Jet Ski.

“Alana,” I said, turning away from Delgado. “Do you have a tow rope?”

She pulled a length of rope out of the seat compartment. “Sure do. I came out to see these waves. They're huge.”

I paddled over. “Have you ever towed anyone into a wave?”

“A couple of times. I've towed a lot of wakeboards though.”

“Perfect,” I said. “Tow me into that, please.”

“Really?” she said.

“They are too big, man!” Delgado said.

I was worried he was going to suddenly move his Jet Ski in front of us.

“Our friend is out there. He's about to take a wave. I have to talk to him,” I said.

“And what if he catches the wave first?” Delgado asked.

I looked up to see Kevin barreling toward the top of the wave. “Then I will too,” I said, grabbing the rope. “Go!”

We shot past three other Jet Skis. I wanted to grab the same wave as Kevin, but we got there too late. He was already shooting across the top, waiting to let go of the rope and drop in. Alana looked back at me.

“The next one,” I yelled. “Take the next one.”

The waves were fairly close together. They were also relentless. The sets kept coming with only the briefest of breaks between them. Alana shouted at other surfers, apologizing for cutting in line. And suddenly I was cruising across the top of a fifty-foot rolling, heaving mass of water that seemed to suck up everything in front of it. Alana looked over her shoulder. I gave her a thumbs-up, and when she cut to the back of the wave, I let go.

It was like falling off the side of a building. The board skipped beneath me. I flew off bumps in the wave, taking air and landing. I was glad I had a board with footholds. My instinct was to cut to the right. But I knew Kevin had gone the other way. There was no telling how close I was to the rocks or the reef surrounding them.

The wave was collapsing on itself as I shot forward. I carved to the left, and looked for a spot to cut out of the wake.

I pushed farther along the face and ducked as the wave collapsed and shot me out the end of the barrel across the shallow reef. The big black rocks were only fifteen or twenty feet away. I cut as hard as I could and weaved over the reef into deeper water.

I couldn't see Kevin anywhere. Behind me, surfers bobbed on the waves and watched the monsters rolling in. It was definitely calmer on this side of the reef. I scanned the beach, straining to see if Kevin was there or the Jet Ski Jose had been driving. But both Kevin and Jose had disappeared.

I heard the whine of Jet Skis coming to life, and watched as, in the distance, another giant wave rolled in. The surfers on this side of the reef paddled over to their Jet Skis. Moments later they were being towed out toward the break.

I tried to find Kevin in the crowd, but the next big wave was coming. I had to get off the reef quickly.

I paddled into the oncoming wave. I knew I would be knocked back when it came in, but I needed to put some distance between myself and the rocks, or I'd be crushed against them.

The first wave came in, and I caught only the foamy remains of it. But the next one was pushing in closer to shore, breaking later. These waves weren't breaking in the same spot. They collapsed eventually, but I couldn't tell where it would be. The second wave was strong and would break well past where the first one had. I was going to be right in the middle of the break.

I paddled hard. There was no way I would make it up the wall of water, but what choice did I have? I couldn't get to shore. And I couldn't hop on the wave and ride it either. I was going to be smashed into the rocks.

I spotted a couple of surfers catching the wave, cutting long lines down its face. I paddled harder, pulling myself through the water.

“Luca!” I looked up to find Alana on her Jet Ski. She threw a rope at me. “Hurry, before we get destroyed out here.”

I grabbed the rope, jumped up and jammed my feet into the straps on my surfboard. “Go!” I yelled.

Alana gunned the engine and shot off.

Right into the approaching wave.

chapter fourteen

Alana leaned as far forward as she could and steered the Jet Ski up the front of the wave. I held on tight as the water foamed and curled beneath me. When Alana disappeared over the lip of the wave, I crouched but was slung into the air. I landed on the back side of the wave, wobbling side to side.

Alana slowed down and looked over her shoulder at me. “We have to cut across the wave,” she yelled, pointing to the far side, where the other Jet Skis and surfers were bobbing about. I spun in a slow circle, trying to keep some momentum so I wouldn't sink. “Hold on,” she said and turned the Jet Ski around.

Suddenly we were flying through the valley between waves, the next giant wall of water already bearing down on us. The water was choppy. I struggled to hold on. If I bailed, I was done for. The coming wave would suck me in and spit me out the back after it had raked me across the reef. No one would be pulling me out of the waves here. There might not be a lot of me left to even pull out.

A forty-foot wave closed in on us. Alana veered away from it. I scanned the top of the wave, where some surfers were launching from. I was certain I spotted Kevin.

“Alana!” I yelled.

She glanced back. I pointed at the top of the wave.

“The next one, you adrenaline junkie!” she screamed.

The wave was breaking right to left, and luckily we were on the outside when it collapsed. Alana slowed down again.

I let go of the rope and drifted up beside her. “I think Kevin got on that wave.”

We watched surfers forced toward the reef by the collapsing wave. “That one broke the wrong way,” Alana said. “They'll be driven into the reef and those rocks.”

“Not if they cut soon enough. Then they'll end up on the other side.”

“What do you want to do?”

“I need to take the next wave.” I grabbed the rope. “Can you tow me in?”

“You're crazy, Luca. I can't tow you in there. Those waves are pushing sixty feet.”

I was filled with adrenaline. I had never surfed waves this big before. There was no way to work up to these giants. You just had to do it.

“He'll disappear again,” I said. I shook the rope. “Please.” She looked at me, then back at the wave. “Come on, Alana.” I clung to the side of the Jet Ski, my face turned toward her.

She leaned over and kissed me on the mouth.

“That's just in case I never get another chance,” she said. “Hold on.” She gunned the Jet Ski, and we shot toward the next wave.

To get on a big wave you have to cut along the side of the break and steer into it at just the right spot. If we went in too late, the wave would break and both of us would drop sixty feet onto the exposed reef. Big waves pull everything into them, including fish, sharks, logs, bottles and cans. Once I even saw a mannequin rolling in the face of a wave.

Alana approached the wave slowly. She gunned forward and then let off a bit as we drew toward it. “Here we go,” she yelled.

The mass of water rolled up beside us. As we approached the lip, another Jet Ski flew past. I was turning into the wave, preparing for the dizzying drop, when I looked over and saw Kevin smiling.

“Kevin,” I yelled.

His smile faded. “Luca, what are you doing here?” he yelled.

“Let go!” Alana yelled. The wave was cresting. She needed to take off before she went over with it. I let go after Kevin did, and the two of us dropped.

The wave was messier than the first one I had taken. Kevin immediately cut to the right. I was more interested in outrunning it. The wave was breaking from right to left again, so I followed Kevin toward the rocks. Kevin had cut back up the front of the wave. He was carving back and forth as though he was on a six- or seven-foot wave. I kept going straight down, thinking only of getting to shore as quickly as possible. Kevin would have to come in. He had seen me, and he knew I'd seen him. If he didn't come in, then I had no idea who he was anymore.