Lost At Sea

     "Where is Rick?" I wondered aloud.  Sitting with my sister and her husband on beautiful Poipu Beach on the island of Kauai, I scanned the horizon for Rick.  He'd been boogie-boarding with my brother-in-law who had long since returned.  Tom complained to us that the waves were "pretty big" and had grown tired from fighting the undertow.  "Where is Rick?" I asked, again.

     In August of 1990 our family went to Hawaii with my parents, my sister and her husband.  Megan was just six months old.  On this particular day, Rick, Judy, Tom and I went to the beach while my parents stayed with Megan at the beach house.  We'd enjoyed our time on Kauai, especially swimming and snorkeling in the crystal blue waters.  Today, however, the waves were larger and more active.  Lots of people were playing in the water, though, so I wasn't concerned -- until I couldn't seem to find Rick in the midst of all the people and boogie boards. 

    (Rick) One day after mountain biking for four hours on the island of Kauai my brother-in-law and I went boogie boarding (a miniature surfboard) in the ocean.  One minute I was floating next to my brother-in-law and several other surfers, the next minute, I was all alone wondering what had happened to everyone.  As I tried to swim back towards shore, it soon became evident that I was caught in a riptide.

     Poipu Beach is shaped like a crescent.  Soon I was walking along the shore peering intently for signs of Rick.  He wore red swim shorts so I instinctively found myself looking for spots of red.  Each time I turned to complete another walk along the beach my apprehension grew and my pace increased.  "Where is he?!" I muttered to myself.  Judy and Tom, seeing my concern, joined in the search for Rick. 

     (Rick) After about 45 minutes in the hot sun and several renditions of singing ‘Gilligan’s Island’, realization set in that I was not a good enough swimmer to swim the mile or more to shore. I began to panic.  In order to make one final effort to swim unrestricted I unstrapped the boogie board from my wrist. Suddenly from behind, the first wave ever crashed over me.  As I came up sputtering my boogie board was sailing through the air more than 50 yards away.  I had to have my  board to survive,  I thought, so I panicked and began to swim towards the board,...and my legs began to cramp with tremendous pain. 

     It occurred to me that I needed binoculars to better scan the horizon for my husband, so I briskly jogged to the nearest hotel to get help.  Asking for binoculars I explained to a lifeguard that my husband couldn't be seen from the shore.   He started moving pretty fast when I said my husband had been lost for almost an hour.  For the first time, I grew scared.  The lifeguard called for an "inflatable" so that he could go out into the water to look for Rick.

            (Rick)  That was it, I was done, my spirit was broken, and all of my props in life were gone.  “Lord, I cried, I know you haven’t heard from me in many years, but I need your help.”  I did not fully understand how or why, but I knew God was there listening to me, but I did not sense that he was yet ready to answer. 

            My focus soon turned from my pain, to fear for the future of Kathy and Megan.  I cried out again, “Lord if you take my life now who will raise my daughter and love my wife?”  It was at that point that I felt the peace of God.  I did not know if God was going to spare me or not, but I knew that either way he would take care of my family.  I suddenly had the peace and confidence to trust in God.  “Lord if you are going to take my life now, please do it quickly”,  I prayed. 

      With the hope that our search would soon include others with binoculars and a boat, I returned to the beach.  Again, I restlessly paced along the beach -- scanning the horizon.  "Where is Rick?" I bemoaned to myself.  It suddenly occurred to me that Rick might actually have been pulled out to the ocean by the strong undertow.  And I thought of the tiger sharks that are so prevalent in the waters of Hawaii.

     (Rick) At that very moment I was struck by a huge wave that drove me under the water.  Somersault after somersault was forced upon my body, until my lungs felt as though they would surely burst!  This is the end I thought.  When I came up, I gasped quickly for air and then, I was hit again by another wave. The third time this happened, I came up to calm water.  I could see the beach way off in the distance and two young boys on a surf board.  With the last strength I could muster I yelled for help and then slumped into the water.  Moments later these two boys pulled me from beneath the water and paddled me back to shore.

        Making another turn-around, I glanced towards the beach just in time to see Rick walking unsteadily towards the shore with two young teenagers.  "Where have you been?!" I exploded.  "I have been so worried about you!  Why did you stay in the water for so long!?"  If I had been more observant I would've noticed that Rick looked very sun-burned and obviously exhausted.  And he was without the boogie-board which was quite expensive to rent.   Without much fanfare, Rick said simply,  "When we get home, we are going to find a church.  There is a God and He saved my life today."   After hearing Rick's story I sheepishly apologized for my angry outburst. 

      I have a picture of Rick cuddling with Megan taken just a few short hours after this event.  He looks fatigued, but happy and at peace with himself.  Rick was never the same, again.  He began studying the bible and learning more about how to live his life for God.  We began attending a church several months later -- and he has had the opportunity to share this story many times.  One thing, though, ... Rick never saw those two boys, again.  We both wonder if they realized what a big role they played in Rick's rescue that day in Kauai.