On a good day, the surf break known as “cliffs” at Kuilei Beach Park is glassy, clean, and chest to head high. On a typical “Diamond Head” day, it is windy, choppy, and knee to hip high – but not crowded. Either way, it’s home, and it’s good to be home!

If you are not a regular at Cliffs, or one of the truly devoted dawn patrollers, you may not notice one thing about the public showers at the base of the pathway: the outer shower head leaks. Unless you make sure that the faucet is tightly wound down, the PVC shower head drips continuously. At times, it flows freely, dumping gallons of freshwater out into the ocean.

I often find myself tightening the shower knob on my way to and from surfing, ensuring that water is not wasted any more than it has to be.My first impulse was to put up a sign and graciously remind people to make sure that water is not wasted. “MAKE SURE YOU TIGHTEN THE FAUCETS” may get the point across. I opted not to do that – not because it would have been ineffective, but because I thought it would just blow away and cause more litter.

Yep. Trash, garbage, rubbish … everyday common litter.

You know what I mean. Litter. You may even remember all those nifty trash cans from the eighties with the words “Pitch In” on them. That was then first lady Nancy Reagan’s biggest campaign and contribution to the free world … pitch in. They produced over one million of those slogan emblazoned trash cans and related promotional materials, in an attempt to awaken the public consciousness about the evils of littering.

To this day, I find cigarette butts, beer bottles, styrofoam cooler pieces (yes, it’s true!), and other related garbage while I walk the beaches of Diamond Head. I had gotten into the habit of picking up whatever garbage was within my reach as I walk to and from surfing, thoughtfully placing it in the giant trash can at the base of the path, next to the showers.

Now, I don’t go way out of my way to pick up trash at Diamond Head … I just clean up the areas that are within my reach as I walk. I make it a habit to walk varying paths though, so as to broaden my respective pathway. I do what I can, when I can, as I can. It has become somewhat a part of my morning surf ritual.

What’s the link here? Signs don’t work in reaching the public consciousness. It doesn’t touch on their ability to be mindful. And in any respect, I like being able to do my part on a daily basis. So I tighten the faucet when it needs to be tightened, and I pick up the trash when I can.

I am, in effect, the sign. A living, breathing, surfing sign.

As I paddled into the warm water in a t-shirt and surf shorts (unlike Bondi in Oz, no wettie required here!), I recalled how my hands felt as it knifed through the freezing water in Bondi Beach. With much respect to Sydney and Brisbane, and all the countless surf spots in the Gold Coast that we have been blessed to surf, Hawaii is indeed one of the best places to surf … and it is home.

It should not take much for all of us to do our parts and clean & maintain our own little parts of this island, and the wonders it holds. With over 1.2 million people in Hawaii, imagine what would happen if we only took care of the area 10 feet around each and everyone of us everywhere we go.

Just a thought from just a surfer.

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