Editor’s Scratchpad

Tuesday, April 17, 2001

No waves of aloha
at the beach

As a new resident of Hawaii, I was excited to have access to some of the world's greatest surf. I was equally excited about the opportunity to make new friends in a different part of the world than Southern California.

But the more time I spend in the water, the more I realize that any friends I might make will have to be through means other than surfing. As near as I can tell, the aloha spirit stops ankle-deep in the Pacific Ocean.

I smile, and a fellow surfer looks the other way. I offer a "howzit," and I receive an apathetic stare. Some guy ditches his board not two feet in front of me as I careen down a wave, causing me to take a nose-dive. I crest the water and eye the guy with a smile and a wave, asking him if he's all right. He nods, visibly relieved not to be given stink-eye. As we paddle out, I find he's also from the mainland.

I guess friendliness has to be imported to the isle's surf like most other goods.

Jason Seaborn

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