Letter from a Surfer commenting on the Superferry

So far, this is the response I've gotten regarding HSF and surfers:

Letter from a Surfer commenting on the Superferry

To most surfers surfing is not a sport; it is a way of life. We are the Ambassadors of the Ocean who enter with the sole intention of sharing its gifts with the creatures who inhabit it.

For many, surfing is a deeply spiritual experience. We paddle out on our own power and become one with the sea. We wait for swells that are created by nature far away and travel great distances to reach our shores. These swells are circles of energy that travel thousands of miles through open water to reach us. When the time is right and the conditions are favorable, we are there to accept this energy as the swell ends its journey on our shores. This is the gift that the ocean offers us and we are eternally grateful for every wave we are lucky enough to catch. This is what nourishes our souls and spirit.

If surfing is a “sport”, it will only grow if it does not threaten the essence of what it really is - a relationship with nature and the ocean.

The Hawaii Superferry contradicts everything surfing sands for. From its 12,000 hp diesel engines to its knife shaped hull. It slices through the water at speeds that threaten anything in its path, yet it struggles uncomfortably through even modest swells. To suggest that the Hawaii Superferry is good for the “sport” of surfing is insulting. Offering a free trip to young surfers who write an essay on that subject is what we have come to expect from the marketing at Hawaii Superferry.

It is ironic that the Hawaii Superferry is attempting to win the favor of surfers through gifts from the corporate culture. For it was surfers who turned the Superferry away from Nawiliwili in the Fall of 2007.

Stay true to yourself and true to the ocean that nourishes your spirit. Let the NSSA know how you really feel about this essay contest.

NSSA HAWAII HOTLINE NUMBER (808)638-5287
and at nssahawaii@yahoo.com

Yours truly,

Scott Mijares
Surfer, Kauai Hawaii