Anti-depressive.
Your BeachGrit strays from its anti-depressive raison d’être from time to time, focusing on unseemly influencers and George Santos-esque lies, but always finds its way back toward inspiration. Toward the feel-good moments you have come to crave and require.
And you certainly are welcome.
The latest, in an almost decade long series, comes to us from New Zealand where a surfer recently saved a father and his two children from certain death via rip current.
But not just any surfer. The country’s future 50+ champion.
Slater-adjacent.
Fate found the poetically named Darren Kiwi surfing near his Arataki home when the surf started to climb and he figured he should head in for his gun. As he neared shore, he spotted a family some 30m (98ft, 1345sfln*) from the sand struggling mightily and knew, instantly.
Rip.
They were getting pounded by 2m (6ft, 27sfln) waves and he knew the situation was dire. In an exclusive interview with the New Zealand Herald, Kiwi says, “So I jumped back on my surfboard, paddled over to them and got a hold of the young girl. The father and the brother were out there as well, so managed to get a hold of them and just keep them all together actually. We managed to work together to actually get us all [to] safety. It seemed like it took forever because it was a horrendous rip. The girl was in a very distressed state and I totally understand it because the whole family had been dumped by a good-sized shore break wave, consistently followed by enough solid shore break waves. They were totally heading towards Motiti Island, that’s it. It was going to rip them right out to the back.”
But through heart, and perseverance, Kiwi navigated them all to shore, losing not one soul and etching his name in the book of heroes.
Reflecting afterward, Kiwi sighed, “It was actually one of the worst situations I’ve ever been involved in in my 35 years plus of surfing … I knew that if I wasn’t there, I knew that they would’ve been probably in a dire situation. Afterwards, they all just said a massive thank you and went their merry way.”
Well, those fates later shone upon Kiwi. A few short weeks after his benevolent act, he took out all 50+ comers at the National Surfing Championships held in pumping Piha and what could be better?
A good deed actually going unpunished.
New Zealand could very much use the great news as much-loved Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that she would be leaving the post due burnout.
Kiwi for the top slot?
Leadership etc.?
Hope springs eternal.
*Surflines
