Beyond the Break by Lukas Kamrath

The moment I stepped into the numbing water I started to shiver, not knowing whether it was from being cold or scared. California beaches all across the state were experiencing massive waves that were six to nine feet resulting from a storm far out in the Pacific Ocean. This was the most nerve-racking day at lifeguard camp in San Diego.

The task I was about to perform with my group was swimming out past the break with a lifeguard buoy. Once the ten of us were beyond the crashing waves, we had to connect all the buoys and swim on the inside of them huddled together back to shore. When the big waves came, we were supposed to hold on and try to ride the wave as a group. The only problem was that on that day, the waves were huge!

“Head out.” I began to walk out in the shallows. The powerful waves pushed me back as I stumbled to regain my balance. I could feel the current tugging at my feet beneath the water as I struggled to continue. Suddenly, the ground below disappeared, the water surrounded me and I had to swim. Seeing a huge wave forming before my eyes, I dove under the water only to realize that when I surfaced, I had been carried back closer to the shore. My swimming strokes were useless against these currents. I pushed myself to the limit, forgetting that I still had a long way to go. All I needed to do at this point was get to the sand bar. At the sandbar I could stand and even though the crashing waves were twice as big, I still had the comfort of the sand in my toes. My muscles felt weak and I wanted to give up but I kept going. My legs were now useless and my arms felt like jelly. The waves continued to tower over me, crashing down on my back and head. Diving again under another wave, I felt something with my hand giving me hope. The sand bar! The frigid water was now at my stomach and I was able to walk. I felt my upper body muscles relax as I continued on foot beyond the surf.

But the challenge was not over. Next we had to face something that I call the “death zone.” The “death zone” is where the big waves crash on the sandbar. Once you are past this breaking point, you are in the clear but by now I was exhausted. The waves broke against my back pushing me under and driving me into the sand. Wave after wave smashed into my body. After one wave, I came up just in time to get a mouthful of water from the wave right behind it. My ears, nose, mouth and eyes were stinging with the salt water and I was just about ready to call quits. Then I saw it - a break in between sets.

I swam as fast as I could using the buoy as support. I was longing for air but I kept pushing myself. I could no longer feel my legs or arms but I kept moving. In the distance, I spotted what looked like another set of waves rolling in. They were massive and I knew that I would be crushed if I didn't manage to get past the break. The first wave in the set was now only 20 feet away from me and I was sure I was doomed. I swam hard against the unrelenting current. Up and over - I made it past the break. I was now safely on the outside, beyond the crash. The next wave was a calm ride up and over as I casually swam to meet the some of my friends who had already made it. I lay on my buoy, resting while I waited for the rest of the group to make it through. As we all gathered, we hooked our buoys together and formed a ring. Little did I know, the worst was still to come.

Swimming out was a physical challenge, but now came the mental challenge. Together as a circular clump of kids and buoys, we had to navigate our way back in to shore. Glancing at the oncoming waves I knew that this wasn't going to be a clean ride. The waves were growing by the moment and were crashing down with as much force as ever. Even though everyone in my group was laughing, including me, I could tell it was a nervous laugh. The waves were slowly sucking us closer to the shore, each time moving us nearer to the crash site. In my mind I wanted to duck under the waves, abandoning the buoy and my friends, but I stayed with the group. The first wave that came just missed us by a few inches. I dove under but when I tried to get back up, I couldn’t because the power of the wave still had me in its grasp. Finally I managed but when I went to take a deep breath, the waves foamy residue filled my mouth as I gagged for air. Looking back I saw another wave pummeling towards us. I held onto my buoy for dear life with one hand, took a deep breath, and dove down as far as I could. I felt the wave smack my back and push me under. My body wanted to surface and my lungs felt as though they would burst. Luckily my buoy helped my body rapidly float back to the surface. We had passed the breaking point and were moving closer and closer to the shore which meant that this would be over soon. We were instructed to swim in and unclasp our buoys. We swam the last bit to shore shocked, relieved, tired but most of all glad we made it.