October 7th 2014: Emerald daze

It's a conflicted story this edition. Last week my batch of work in the North Island coincided with one of the best swells to hit the east coast beaches in months. It was clear the swell was going to jump from zero-foot to six-foot overnight and most were picking Tairua on the Coromandel as being the prime spot. I had my heart set on some waves a little closer to Mount Maunganui.

By Wednesday the swell had filled in and was 3.7m on the buoys and maxed out on every beach from the East Cape to Coromandel. Most surfers were watching eagerly waiting for the swell to clean up when news came through that a five-year-old boy had been swept off Shelley Beach part way around the base of Mt Maunganui. Surf Lifesavers and search and rescue teams worked tirelessley into the evening searching for young Jack Dixon.

By dusk the search came up empty handed. A heavy sky hung over Mauao – a place that earlier that morning had been a bustling beach paradise full of school holiday energy. As darkness forced the searchers to retreat there wasn't a dry eye to be found. The gravity of the situation had spilled in an emotional outpouring that reached into every nook of the beachside hub. Mount Maunganui was heartbroken for this family and all who knew young Jack.

It was a tragic, freak accident.

By dawn the next day everyone searched for ways to deal with their emotion. For most surfers that meant finding a quiet peak somewhere they could be alone with their thoughts. I found my place swimming around among emerald peaks in a long stretch of remote coastline. I wasn't alone. By now the swell was clean and calm, the sunrise was unusually peaceful and the waves were walls of golden light. There wasn't the normal stoke and hooting from a pack of surfers in these conditions, but a sombre mood – an unusual quiet. A healing.

A page has been set up to assist the family with the costs associated with the search and for the many tough days ahead of them. You can access it here.

Take care out there ... see you at the beach ... Derek