The first time I became acquainted with the superstitious (or maybe paranormal) in Hawaii was a blip in time. Walking back from a surf with our own Alex Haro, I picked up a tiny piece of coral in the sand. “Whoa,” I said. “Look at this thing.”
“May wanna just leave that where you found it,” Alex cautioned me. “There are countless stories about people getting cursed* when they take rocks and stuff home. If you believe that sort of thing.”
I put the coral back.
On that same trip, Quiksilver house manager Reef McIntosh was gracious enough to host us for the day and give us a tour of the team’s digs. During the tour, the conversation quickly turned to things that Reef’s seen at the house over the years that transcend explanation.
“I didn’t stay in this room for the longest time because of the stories,” he told us as we stood in the main bedroom.
Reef recounted how when Strider Wasilewski used to stay in the room, he had an inexplicable bout with sleep paralysis. As Reef tells it, Strider felt like he was being held down.
Then there’s Danny Fuller’s story about a glowing green centipede inching across the wall at night – corroborated by a buddy next to him.
And another story about boards flying from one end of the room to the next completely unprompted.
When he got done rattling off the list of spooky, seemingly-paranormal encounters, I wondered why in God’s name he’d continue to stay there.
But, as Reef explains, a positive attitude thus far has resulted in zero issues. Here’s to hoping it stays that way.
*Pele’s curse is no joke, and ignorance is no excuse. Learn more here.
