In a Whales Eye

 

 

 

IN A WHALES EYE

 

Dave Rastovich wants you to think about a few things

 

Dave Rastovich, Pro surfer, Cetacean activist, knows the taste of blood in the Ocean. In protest, in October of 2007, he paddled directly into the annual slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. The sea was red with dolphin blood. He was threatened with harpoons and barely escaped with his life. Though his actions only postponed the slaughter, it is a testament to the commitment that this surfer lives with every day. His SURFERS FOR CETACEANS organization (S4C), founded in 2004, has galvanized the surfing world against the senseless slaughter of Dolphins and Whales and is now poised to reach into the mainstream consciousness. The following are a few words from a man of the ocean, a man of passion. 

Read them. 

Then ask yourself what it is that keeps you breathing.    

 

Give me one reason why?

It should be a personal issue for all surfers, because Dolphins also love to ride waves. No other humans maintain such an intimate connection with wildlife. You don’t see animals running alongside African tribesmen simply because they both enjoy running through the bush. 

 

When you are surfing, what is your favorite moment, your favorite instant, out of the entire experience?

Consistently, the most intensely electrified moment when I am surfing is the paddle into, riding, and exiting of a tube ride. The overall experience of surfing is blissful, yet the energy levels experienced whilst tube riding are so far beyond ANY other moment in my life. There is no other period of time in my life that is as intensely satisfying as tube riding. Tell me of any other human culture that devotes their entire life to an experience that lasts only ten seconds at most? This is the center point for all surfers. 

 

What do you think a Dolphin’s favorite surfing moment is?

Jumping out of the wave, feeling gravity on the super sensitive bodies. And, like us, the experience of being cradled, and propelled by a force much greater than ourselves

 

Why do we seek the tube as surfers? What is the pull? What is it about that spinning place that calls us to survive its violence?

Spirals. Everything in this known universe moves in circular, spiraled motions. Take our perspective down to the microscopic level and you will see an electron and a neutron spinning around each other. The building blocks of matter are not ‘blocks’’ at all, they are movements of energy that adhere to the spiral motion. The largest galaxy, the water in your toilet, rainbows of light and colour, wind over the ocean… all spirals. And the magic of surfing ocean waves is that we get to place our bodies right into the center of that spiral form. Anyone who has heard stories of people being run over by hurricanes or tornadoes will be familiar with the fact that in the center of the storm lies a realm of complete calm and potent stillness. When we tube ride we experience that calm, potent stillness, though it is slightly different. The spiraling mass is salt water. Clean, highly charged salt water. Spinning out negative ions in every direction. Squeezing fresh, clean oxygen from its center point and out onto the shoulder of the wave. In the middle of all that motion is a surfer. And in that moment, the surfer is completely focused. The mind completely clear, no separation of thoughts, no distractions. We are totally present and attentive at that moment, and therefore open ourselves up to experience the full energy of that experience. No words will truly convey the experience, but it can be fun attempting to illustrate the magic.

 

What has been your closest cetacean encounter and what did you learn from it?

I have had a dolphin push away a tiger shark from me and some mates. This happened just two days after I started Surfers For Cetaceans. 

 

What influence has your belief in Yoga and health had on your connection with the ocean?

Balance. 

 

When does fear enter the picture for you when it comes to dealing with the wildlife and the hydraulic power of the oceans?

Fear and intuition are the guiding forces within surfing dangerous waves. There is a definite need to be able to listen to yourself and feel what is right for you out in the water. Usually when fear is present I am aware that there is potential for an incredible experience of transcending ego, body limitations, and pre conceived notions of what is possible within surfing. Fear tells me that life is about to dish up an opportunity for growth.

 

What does it mean to look into the eye of a swimming whale in the wild?

Evolution. Harmony. Compassion. This animal could drown us in an instant when we are with them in the water. And they choose not to harm us. That is intelligence. That is compassion. That is something that us humans, with all our supposedly advanced and wonderful technologies have still not yet mastered. As Paul Watson states « intelligence is the ability to live in harmony with your natural environment, by that criteria, we are the stupidest of species’”. The dolphin and whale live in harmony with their environment and get to go surfing at the same time!

 

What is the most profound thought you believe you have ever had?

Thoughts are a construct of the mind. Fun to listen to, but nothing worth defending.

 

What is the best thing a coastal dwelling Human can do to preserve the pristine nature of his or her coastal waters?

Surf. Expose environmental criminals. And communicate with each other about our oceanic issues.

 

Do waves belong to surfers? Or do we belong to them?

There is no wave and surfer, there is only surfing. The universe is surfing through all of creation within every moment. Be a part of it.

 

By Matt George

Song by Fius Edition (www.myspace.com/fiusedition)