How to Surf

     Surfing is one of the greatest water sports ever invented. Surfing has always been a sport that requires instinct, skill, technique and a love for the ocean and waves. While a novice may feel that all these skills make surfing a complex sport, one can actually describe surfing in a few short words. There are many different parts of surfing. The board, the wind, the wave’s velocity, and the distance between waves, all contribute to the final product of a wave and how the surfer can catch it.

     The rule, “where there is a wave, there is a surfer,” applies to almost all around the world. Unfortunately, for some soul surfers (surfers who surf to be in nature and be happy), the crowds are a little intense. The obvious popularity of surfing shows how easily people come to love it and want to try it. The first step to catching your first wave is to head down to your local beach and check the waves. Look for a gentle wave and a break with a sandy bottom. Once you have found this spot, you want to contact your local surf shop and rent a soft-board for learning. Once that you have your board and your spot, head down to the beach, but don’t jump in yet!

     What you want to do if you are a first timer is practice going from lying flat on the board to jumping up into your “surf stance.” This stance is what you will use when standing up on a wave. You want to be fairly balanced, and not positioned too far back on the board, or the tail will sink. If you are too forward, you will do what surfers call a “nose dive,” in which you will embarrassingly sink your nose and thus plummet down the wave with a tremendous splash for everyone to laugh at. Position yourself in the middle of the surf board, leaning a little bit back. After you have practiced jumping from your stomach to your surf stance several times and feel comfortable with it, it is time it hit the waves.

      Usually there will be a part of the surf break called the channel. This is where you want to go out because the waves don’t break in this section. Once you are in the lineup (the place where you wait for the wave), sit on your board like you are straddling a horse. Now is the time to be patient and feel the ocean. You need to find sports on shore that are visible, and line yourself up with them. These are your reference points so you don’t drift into the breaking zone.

       A wave is coming! You look out in the distance and you see a little lump. As the wave comes towards you, it will get bigger than it was in the distance due to the shallower sea floor. To be able to catch this wave your, momentum must be equal to the wave’s momentum. To do this, you will need to paddle as hard as you can. Once you catch the wave you will no longer need to paddle and you will feel yourself gliding along the ocean at a fast, effortless pace. This feeling is absolutely amazing and words are unable to describe it. A surfer’s saying is, “Only a surfer knows the feeling.” Once you have caught the wave, it is time to stand up! Remember that balance is the key to surfing and your stance makes either a great ride or a hilarious wipeout. By shifting your weight and your feet, you can control the direction in which you travel.

      That is your first wave! Make sure you tell yourself that everyone has different learning curves and to never give up on the first wave. After you have mastered it, you can surf more advanced spots and ride shorter boards. If you don’t get hooked, then you will never know the true surfer’s feeling of gliding on a wave. Time for you to stop reading this essay and get out into the surf!

Spear Fishing Adventures

          My parents recently got back from a trip to Maui, Hawaii. One thing that was pretty cool, maybe even a little unnecessary ego boost was that so many places had the name, “Kai” in it.  Restaurants, road signs, lawyer offices, beach parks, fishing stores, etc.  “Kai,” in Hawaiian, means the ocean, something that I love with all my heart.  My own name being “Kai” helps build my personality, and similarly gives a reason to why I feel so connected to it. On his return trip, my father purchased two spear guns from a couple of laid-back Hawaiians. Last weekend we decided to give them a try.  Being beginners, my dad told me that it was only going to be a practice run and not to be disappointed if we didn’t catch anything. That’s not the way I think.  I was so eager to catch a fish during my first time spear fishing, prepared and full of ambition I was. 
        My dad and I took our little 14 foot dingy out to a reef in from of Tanapag called, Wahoo Rocks.  I strapped myself into a five pound weight belt, put my fins on, and cleared my mask and snorkel.  Pulling the classic diving maneuver, I let myself fall backwards into the water.  Once underwater in liquid space, I pulled the bands back and locked them into the shaft of the spear.  The hunt began. 
       With my hopes high and my eyes alert, I descended about 15 feet and hovered on the bottom waiting for fish.  My breath hold ran out and I had to retreat to the surface.  Running impatient, I aimed at nothing and I pulled the trigger to see what the gun 
could do.  While I was retrieving the shaft and locking it back into place, I saw a dark form moving in the distance.  The figure began to take shape as it got closer, and I realized it was a black tip reef shark.  These sharks are generally harmless to humans; it was about six feet long and had a strong, thick body.  The black tip shark swam towards me, checked out who was in its territory, and ominously swam away.  I surfaced and shouted to my dad, who ducked under to have a look at the seemingly-gentle beast.  
       Thinking it was a good time to head back to the boat, I realized I had not caught any fish. My dad and
 I made it next to the boat and got ready to hop in when I saw another amazing animal. Two large stingrays swam directly beneath my father and me.  I could see every detail from their large, unblinking eyes, to the five foot wingspan, down to the fatal barb that killed Steve Irwin, RIP Mr. Irwin. My heart pumped faster once I realized this was an animal capable of killing a seemingly invincible man.  I lay still and looked over at my dad, he nodded in agreement and we both lay as still as we could with waves lapping over our backs. 
        After the stingrays passed, the day felt complete and I was filled with the great honor of seeing these creatures.   I felt that perhaps my dad was right: as a beginner, try not to expect anything too great from yourself. Things take practice, and in time, I know that I will be able to catch a delicious Parrotfish, Tataga, or perhaps even a Yellow-fin Tuna.  I had no regrets about the day, for being able to have two graceful and powerful creatures in my presence felt as good as catching a fish, possibly even better.

Article about SIS's Student Parking Lot

Greetings Reader!

This column will be directed towards the Saipan International School’s advantages, disadvantages, and things that the students would like to change.  Ultimately, the final written work of this column will be based on currently attending student’s feelings as well as my own. In this column in particular, the discussion will be based up on SIS’s student parking lot.

            Now for all of you high school kids out there that drive to school themselves, you know exactly what I mean when I say that the parking lot dedicated to the students needs a LOT of work. Either someone needs to find a way to pay for some repairs, or should I say, any construction at all, or students should be allowed to park next to the high school or in the teacher’s parking lot. Now I have counted the amount of student drivers, and I have seen how many empty spaces there are outside of the high school and a few in the teacher’s lot.  Other drivers and I would easily be able to fit in these spots. 

            Any of you that do not drive, you are probably thinking, “Ah it doesn’t matter, I get dropped off nearly right at the door.”  However, you do not know how much a hassle it can be.  Our Physical Education teacher is the only teacher I know who also parks in the student parking lot from time to time.

            Teachers may complain about students being late for class.  A way to fix that is let the students park in the actual cement parking lot! Now if you are 10-15 minutes late, there is not an excuse, but for 5 minutes there is.  It usually takes an extra 3-5 minutes to get to the muddy parking lot, get your supplies for school out and walk to the high school.  Maybe I am making a mountain out of a molehill, but I know for certain that every student driver will vouch for me that our student parking lot is nowhere near ideal.

            The rainy season is right on our doorstep and will be ringing the doorbell very soon. I will not be surprised if our parking lot is soon underwater. A few of these mornings I have had to wait inside my car for it was raining outside and I could not afford to get my books or my bag wet.  This is only on occasion, but it will be much more frequent as we near what Saipan calls “winter.”  What I want YOU to do is, after you have read this, tell your friends and your parents about this problem and help bring the idea of a new student parking lot.  As I mentioned previously, you yourself might not worry about this for you may have your own ride.  Nevertheless, one day very soon it may be you making the treacherous journey through puddles and mudslides to school.

-Kai Staal. Reporter for Saipan International School’s Newspaper

The Search for Serenity (Continued)

Note: Photo is not mine.

    I checked my air gauge and the weights strapped around my waist as I began to descend slowly towards the meeting place.  My teammate Rezne Wong was already on the bottom, casually looking at fish and waiting for the rest of the crew to arrive. 

As my conscious adapted to the new environment, I began to really see how much life was hiding beneath the surface.  Moray eels poked their heads out of holes in the coral and black tip and white tip sharks curiously swam by us. Our dive leader and the rest of our crew made it to the bottom and joined us in a “slow-motion” meeting underwater.  My depth gauge tells me that we are about eight meters deep, and I realized we are resting on a sort of plateau, planning to go deeper.  Before the dive, our dive leader told us stories of huge manta rays with 10 foot wingspans swimming right up to the divers.  I constantly kept alert for I really wanted to see one of these majestic giants.   Large mackerel and yellow-fin tuna swam past us and on into the depths.  I felt like an astronaut; the slow inhale and exhale of compressed air and the weightless sensation of flying created an experience to remember.

We hit 18 meters and I rolled over onto my back to view the surface.  Something seemed wrong about the surface, moving around as if it had a life of its own.  Suddenly I realized I wasn’t actually looking at the surface, instead, I was getting a front seat view of an entire school of fish swimming above me.  The way I will always describe my experience is imagine you are watching the special about the ocean called, “Deep Blue” on Discovery channel. However, this time you are actually feeling the elements of fish, water, and coral all around you and not on a television screen.  Yeah! It is amazing. If you have never been diving before, I highly recommend you to.  Ah you can always say, “I want to go skydiving, bungee jumping, or snowboarding,” but you will never experience the pure peacefulness of being underwater for extended periods of time. 

SERENITY
Note: Photos are not mine.

Scuba diving is almost a form of meditation, where it is almost impossible to think Hmmm… I wonder what will be for lunch later? Or I wonder what is on TV? Underwater, hearing nothing but your own breath, being entirely in the present moment. I think you can say the search for Serenity may be found underwater in a liquid state just as we as babies were once in our mothers wombs.  Where pure peacefulness, silence, and a sense of security are found, serenity will be found among them.   

The Search for Serenity

Part of the CNMI National Team with Captain Blanco
Speeding through the Rock Islands

      August 6th, 2010. I woke up that day with several thoughts flashing through my minds: a boat ride through the rock islands to go on a dive, a trip to Jellyfish Lake, a free dive to a sunken fishing boat, and a swim through one of Palau’s most pristine marine lakes.  I was there with the CNMI National Swim team, competing in the Micronesian Games of 2010.  Trying to pack in Palau’s wonders into one day is nearly impossible, but we seemed to pull it off.  Unfortunately, it rained almost all day, but it did not take away the beauty and awe. The boat captain’s name is Blanco, and he led us on a 40 minute boat ride through the German Channel, interweaving through Palau’s thousands of islands.  Captain Blanco knew the islands as if there were a map on the back of his hands.  I know if I were driving the boat, I probably would not be here writing this blog.

As we neared the dive spot, zipped up our wetsuits and put on our scuba gear, the rain started pouring and the wind started howling.  The water had this tranquil attraction to it that intensified my yearning to be underwater rather than above.  Many of my friends call me a fish. My name actually means “ocean” in Hawaiian, AND I was born in a hot tub.  Okay, back to the story… where were we?  Ah yes, the dive.

Crossing through the German Channel

         I sat on the edge of the boat facing away from the ocean, preparing to enter the classic boat dive way.  Above the wind and rain I could hear the dive leader. He shouted, “One, two, three, GO!” and I let myself be carried away by gravity, backwards down to the water.  I plunged through the surface creating a white aura of bubbles around me. As the bubbles cleared and my vision grew more acute, I was in awe of the life under the surface.  It grew quiet and I could hear the rain pounding the surface above me. Underwater was an entirely different story. Going from one setting, the feel of the rain hitting your skin, wind blustering against your face, to complete quiet and stillness is a bit unnerving.  However, once I was underwater, I felt safe, secure, and above all, happy.  This can relate to life in a way.  Surfaces can always have tricks, mirrors, or may seem uninviting, but once you can get through that surface, you unlock an entirely new world.  Be it love, books, or even new people, but especially love.  Never let yourself be scared away just because of the outside view, for you will never know what you might experience.  Live life to its fullest and experience everything.

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." - Wayne Gretzky

 Stay tuned for my next blog about the rest of August 6^th, 2010.

Good Morning Bali

Driving through Bali's exquisite villages, I was filled with the utmost respect and compassion for the people residing there. In my opinion, Balinese people are some of the most loyal, friendly, and honest people out there in the world today. These people are hard workers, and although there is the occasional "rip-off", it is easier to let go if you use the famous expression, "Put yourself in someone else's shoes."  The desire to have enough paper money in their hand to feed themselves and their family is hardly a reason to despise them at all, for that desire lies in every person and in every soul.

The local shops and stores passed by, more than I can hardly think to remember. Each one of them filled with the most delicate and intricate wood carvings you may ever see in your lifetime. As I closed my eyes that night, tribal masks, laughing Buddha's, mahogany walking sticks, and intimate beings carved in love danced before my eyes. Once I realized the immense effort put out to create such exquisite pieces of art, and the low income profited from the labor, I found it hard to believe these people could support a family on such a business. They figure it out and prosper not so much in money, but in happiness. Balinese people are such happy people you could never imagine what they go through every day. With this in mind, I appreciated my life, holiday, friends and family more than ever.

Names for the Balinese are very important. The name that is given to the child often carries a symbolic meaning and is believed to affect the child's life. Once the baby is 12 days old, there is a special name-giving ceremony called 'ngerorasin'. Names are given by order of birth: 1. Wayan 2. Putu 3. Made 4. Nyoman 5. Ketut.  The most memorable Balinese person I have ever met is a man named Nyoman. I like to call him Nyoman Superman, for he is the best driver Bali has to offer, and drives with a superman-style. He is sometimes called, "Saipan's best", for most people that go to Bali have connections with him. Nyoman asks how people are doing that live on Saipan, and has a deep hearty laugh when we tell him a joke about the economy.  The famous words that this gentle man enjoys saying are of his own: "FLIPPY U-EE!" (his term for doing a U-turn in on coming traffic) "WHALLOP!" (he will teasingly "wallop" you if you say something funny)  and the best for last, his elongated "AWEEEESOMME!" When these words are spoken by him and a twinkle in his eye, you are left with a big smile and a warm heart.

Nyoman-Superman and I in Bali,

That is all for tonight. I hope that when you read this you will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Kai

Arriving in Denpasar, Bali. June 15th, 2010.

My family and I arrived in the Denpasar Airport late in the evening on June 15th, 2010. It was packed with arrivals and departures.  As we stepped into the hallway leading to immigration, the departures lounge was visible through a wall of glass. It was filled tan, sun burnt tourists with melancholy expressions. At first, my initial thought was, Haha, sucks for them! They have to leave one of the most fruitful cultural places in the world! Then, the slightest twinge of pity entered my being, for at the back of my mind, behind all the excitement, hid the knowledge that in five weeks from that moment, the roles would be reversed. I pushed that thought further away as I came upon a surf photo covering the wall next to Immigration, making me eager to jump in the Indian Ocean.

We filed out into the street, with "Taksi" drivers following us, each saying that they were the ones with the best car, the best air con, the safest air bags and the most experienced drivers. What we have to understand is that these local Balinese, (and foreign Javanese workers), make nearly two dollars a day, making a total of $86.56 per month. Source: (http://www.balidiscovery.com/messages/message.asp?Id=4150).  This money factor caused them to be eager to find customers and cheat higher prices out of the rich and ignorant tourists. After we haggled the price down to one third of Madae's asking price, we got into his car and headed to the dingy hotel we would eventually stay at.

Although this summer becomes my seventh trip to Indonesia, I never cease to be amazed at the endless maze of markets, and especially the flowing traffic of the country's highest consumer product, the moped.  It is possible to paint a picture of a school of fish in your mind, and use that as an example of the way mopeds are driven in Bali.  Every person is relaxed, and drives with a watery motion, flowing around obstacles and moving together as a pack.  Due to this reason, driving a moped in Bali is relatively safer than driving one in much more advanced countries such as the USA and Europe.

We arrived one hour later at Hotel Lusa, in North Legion, with only a 30 second walk from the beach.  A friend stored his surfboards in Hotel Lusa for us to borrow, and from there we obtained them from the storage closet. My dad found us a nice Kijang car for only $10 dollars a day. We arose the early the next morning to head out south to the Bukit Peninsula. The adventures begin...